Out of the Abyss
by yra
Summary: As one story ends... Completed!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I love Sailor Moon, but I own no part of it.

This is just the first set-up chapter.

Tokyo slept fitfully that night. Millions of beds went bare of blankets as their owners tossed and turned, kicking sheets to the floor. Sighs, groans, and murmurs came from normally peaceful sleepers. The whole city seemed to whisper in it's sleep.

If someone paused to listen, they would realize that some of the whispers came from no human throat. The sounds floated on an unnaturally cold wind, a wind which started from a silent alley. The air shimmered strangely, and seemed to twist and turn around a single point.

Then, with the sound of cloth ripping, a hole of ultimate darkness punched through into a place it did not belong.

The air rippled with the aftershock of this assault, and the terrible whispers road the waves, through walls and windows, straight into the minds and souls of the dreaming, speaking to them, telling them lies...

Meiou Setsuna rolled over in bed, burying her face in her pillow. Her eyes opened suddenly, and she stared at the pattern on her pillowcase without seeing it. She could not remember what woke her, except the echo of a name in her head, which came readily to her lips.

"Endymion."

_I knew him first. I loved him before he ever saw her._ She sat up suddenly, throwing her pillow across the room. _She's a little fool, always simpering at him, always hanging off his arm. She has no right to him. She's a fool, and weak, and selfish. Everyone worships her, and she takes the only man I ever loved._

The Keeper of Time hurled a book at the wall. The loud crash pleased her, causing an ugly smile to flit across her face. The violence of her envy, of her hate, would have shocked those who knew her. So would the horrible image forming in her gentle mind.

_Her own staff smashed down onto a head of beautiful golden hair. Blood coated the heavy silver head of her staff in her mind, and she imagined raising it for another strike. She could feel the bone shatter under the fierce blow to the skull, could smell the coppery tang of the blood, could see the strands of silky golden hair trailing from the metal as she raised it again..._

Setsuna collapsed back on her bed, closed her eyes, and continued her grim dreams of her princess.

When she first awoke, Ten'ou Haruka was not sure of the cause. It was either the gnawing emptiness in her chest, or the rasping sobbing of terrible loss. It took her a moment to realize those almost animal sounds came from her.

_Where is she?_ Haruka began hunting through the blankets, hands reaching desperately for warm flesh. She felt no one else in the bed with her, and her heart leapt into her throat.

"NO!"

"What's wrong?" came a voice from the door. Kaiou Michiru sounded cross, but her lover did not care.

"Where were you?" Haruka demanded in a cracking voice.

The other woman glided back towards the bed. "I went to get a drink. I heard a lot of banging from Hotaru's room. That kid is supposed to be the Silent one, damn it! People are trying to sleep."

Haruka choked back another sob. She could not be worried with Hotaru at that moment. She was so glad to see Michiru's outline, to hear her voice, she started crying all over again.

"Come here," she beckoned, holding out her arms.

Michiru got back into bed, but did not allow Haruka to embrace her. "Why are you crying?"

"I woke up, and you weren't here... Oh, Michiru, it was horrible! I thought you were gone!"

"I will be if you don't quit crying," she answered tersely. "I'm fine, there's no need to carry on."

Haruka shook her head. "I thought I'd lost you! I feel like my heart has been broken into a million pieces!"

"Stop being so dramatic, and go to sleep. I'm tired."

Without another word, Michiru lay back and pulled the blanket into place. Haruka gulped down another sob and buried her face in her lover's shoulder.

"Oh, get off, Haruka!" Michiru growled, rolling away. "And stop crying!"

While the auquamarine haired beauty fell easily back into her tainted dreams, Haruka stayed up for hours watching her sleep.

Huffing with exertion, Tomoe Hotaru shoved the bed firmly into place in front of her bedroom door. She had already locked all her windows, and closed tight the curtains. No one could possibly get in.

"There," she whispered, dropping to sit cross-legged on the floor. "Good. Keep 'em out. Keep 'em all out. They just want to use me because I'm strong. They don't love me. Liars! They're all liars! Don't let 'em in!"

A slight sound outside her window made her jump.

"Go away!" she screamed. "You can't use me anymore!"

She leapt up and ran into her closet, slamming the door shut. "Quiet. Quiet! They'll find you. Quiet."

Her body trembled as Kino Makoto lay perfectly still in bed. She could not move, could barely breathe through her terror. She could not even lift her wrist to call her sister Senshi.

"Please," she breathed into the darkness. "Please! Somebody help me!"

There came no answer from the dark, no sign of hope. She closed her eyes as tight as she could, tried to think of sunshine or flowers or anything good. The harder she tried, the thicker the darkness became. The fear trapped her to her bed, tears sliding down her temples into her hair.

"Somebody! Anybody!"

She was too afraid to turn on the lights, to confront the darkness. She just wanted to hide until dawn.

"Somebody help me!"

The night reeked of evil. The sour taste of something vile filled Hino Rei's lungs as she breathed the cold breeze. Something haunted Tokyo, something foul...

Rei listlessly pushed a lock of black hair from her forehead. She barely managed to lift her hand. She could not manage to care.

_Evil comes, we fight it, something worse takes it's place,_ she mused. _I could go out, put on the uniform, fight for love and justice, but what does it matter? Nothing we do can save the world from evil. It killed even Queen Serenity in the end. It will take us all, one by one, and nothing we do will ever stop it._

She turned her face away from the window and the city. _Let it finally end. I don't care._

The soft illumination of the streetlights through the window was plenty. Aino Minako could see her face clearly in the mirror. She studied her features intently.

"I don't understand. Aren't I pretty enough? Aren't I nice enough?" She crumbled to sit on the floor, staring blankly at her carpet. "Why won't anyone love me?"

Tears dampened her cheeks as she curled into a ball on the floor. She burried her face in her knees, stifling her sobs. Her shoulders shook in silence.

_I would give everything for someone to hold me right now. Just hold me, and love me. Love me for me, for Sailor Venus and Minako._

There was no one but herself, and the whispering wind.

Flying through the air, the laptop shattered on impact with the wall. Bits and pieces showered down onto the pale blue carpet. Several seconds later, a doll smashed to bits against the same spot.

Mizuno Ami paused, perspiration glittering on her forehead. Her room looked like a war zone. The dresser lay on it's side. The mattress had been pulled from the bed. Old toys, treasured souvenirs, and precious heirlooms lay in pieces across the floor. Several pictures had been shredded and strewn about.

The petite blue-haired girl bared her teeth as she pounced on her books. She ripped the covers free, tore the pages into bits. The scraps she threw into the air like confetti.

With a wild scream, she threw all her weight against the bookshelf . It teetered a moment, then smashed to the floor.

Ami hunted for something else to destroy, her blood burning. As she hurled a chair at the wall, she did not even question her rage.

In the silent alley, the pinpoint of emptiness grew with each evil thought, each quake of terror, cry of pain, or moan of despair. It swirled wider, sucking in the very light of the streetlamps, ripping a bigger hole into the very air.

When the wound in reality was big enough, a face appeared, looking from one universe into another. Black vortex eyes scanned the alley, and bruised, dark lips smiled. A long, black tongue slipped out, tasting the air like a snake. Whatever it found, it liked. Clawed hands seized the sides of the darkness, forcing it wider until it could fit it's whole body through.

Slowly, patiently, it pushed itself through the barrier. As it stepped into a world where it was never meant to be, the fabric of reality stretched, twisted, and changed.

Those sleeping the deepest sleep woke.

Unlike her friends, Tsukino Usagi did not wake. She dreamed of a place devoid of light, of laughter, of joy, of love. She dreamed of the Abyss.

_The vortex dragged her mercilessly deeper. Heavy darkness shackled her. The mouth of infinite emptiness yawned wider, tongues of agony licking at her feet. The black whirlpool whispered._

_She twisted, groping through thick nothingness for any friend to catch her, any light to hold on to. She saw no help, no escape. The dark current pulled her, struggling, down._

_A maw of ten thousand teeth and a million screaming voices swallowed her. The pain of her flesh flayed off, the ache of her muscles ripped free of her bones, the horror of seeing those black tongues lapping at her own blood dimmed next to the wrenching agony in her heart. As the vortex devoured her body, the Abyss seeped into her soul. _

_Hate, loss, disgust, suspicion, terror, despair, loneliness, and rage shredded her spirit like so many knifes. Her soul shattered under the barrage of evil. The shards of her pure heart glowed briefly, then darkened and disappeared._

"MOTHER!"

Usagi sat straight up in bed, her blue eyes wide, her chest heaving. Her pajamas clung to her sweat drenched body, while golden hair stuck to her tear soaked cheeks. She clenched both hands over her breast, her heart feeling as though filled with ice.

The bedroom door hit the wall with enough force to rebound and almost slam shut on the woman running into the room. Mrs. Tsukino raced across the room to collapse on her daughter's bed. Her arms went protectively around her trembling child.

"What is it, sweetheart? What happened?"

Usagi froze for a moment, then buried her face in her mother's shoulder. "They were all screaming! All those voices!"

"Honey, it was just a dream," Mrs. Tsukino promised. "Just a dream."

"No! Mama, it tried to eat me! It was ripping my skin off, drinking my blood-"

"It was a dream!" her mother said again. "You're safe now."

Mother and daughter rocked gently together, Mrs. Tsukino humming softly, stroking Usagi's hair. As her tears wet her mother's robe, she felt safe, protected, cherished, and guilty.

When she screamed for her mother, this was not the woman she meant.

Yra: What do you think? Worth continuing? I will anyway. ;-)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know this is a slow beginning, but it will pick up! I promise!

Special Thanks: To my first reviewers, herownwrite (I should have checked my paragraph spacing more closely), Freaky-Sis(Thanks for the encouragement), and NemisisMuse and Elena Chamberlain for reviewing One Moment More. THANKS!General I-own-nothing-not-even-this-computer Disclaimer.

The black cat sat on the windowsill, staring unblinkingly at the sleeping girl. This was not so strange for a cat. The thoughts running through the feline's head, though, were not to be found in most pets.

_What could have woken her like that?_ Luna mused, watching Usagi turn over with a sigh. _Most nights, a bomb could go off, and she'd just keep snoring. But last night..._

Luna mused over the idea of calling the other Scouts. She didn't want to wake them over what could very well have been a regular nightmare, albeit a vivid one. It took a worried Mrs. Tsukino two cups of tea and an hour of reassurances to get her daughter back to sleep. The household as a whole decided to let Usagi sleep in, including one very intelligent black cat who was more than she seemed.

_Perhaps I should call Artemis?_ Luna barely thought the idea, when she heard the telltale sound of Usagi's communicator.

"Usagi? Luna? Is anyone there?"

The cat advisor pricked her ears forward curiously. Even stuffed up and strained, she easily recognized Ami's voice.

"Hm?" Usagi groaned, and blinked her eyes open to look at the screen blankly. Comprehension dawned as she sat up, gasping. "Ami, what's wrong? Have you been crying?"

Luna leapt from the window onto the bed to peer over Usagi's shoulder. Ami stared out of the communicator through red-rimmed eyes, her cheeks blotchy, her nose red. She tried to pull herself together as she explained, seemingly unaware that she clutched a porcelain doll with a shattered head to her chest.

"My room is destroyed. All my books, and my things... Some of my clothes are okay, but almost everything is ruined."

"What happened?" Usagi demanded, horrified. "Were you attacked? Are you alright?"

Ami offered a strained smile. "Oh, I'm alright, Usagi. Really, they're only _things._"

"WHAT HAPPENED?!?"

The cool, calm genius's lower lip trembled a moment, and then she completely broke down. Her face fell into a mask of abject misery. Tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks, and she hiccupped for breath.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Ami wailed. "I don't know what happened! Last night," hic, "last night I woke up, and, and, and I got up and..." She shook her, sending tears spraying all around her. "And I tore up all my books, and I broke my computer, and all my things are gone! Everything is gone!"

Luna stared at her, horrified. "Ami, why?"

"I told you, I don't know! Last night I woke up, and I was so angry! I'm glad my mom's out of town! If she had walked into my room last night, I would have killed her!"

"No, you wouldn't," Usagi tried to reassure her. "You would never hurt anyone."

"Last night I would. I really think I would have killed anyone I met."

The certainty in her voice chilled Luna, but she spoke through it. "Ami, don't do anything! We'll be there in a minute, alright?"

"O-okay," Ami whispered around sniffles. "Please, hurry."

Usagi leapt out of bed with more energy than Luna had ever seen her show in the morning. She threw open her closet, grabbing an outfit at random. As she pulled the simple sundress on, her voice came through.

"Luna, what do you think happened?"

"I don't know, Usagi, but it can't be coincidence," Luna noted. "Last night, you woke screaming from a horrible nightmare, and Ami behave in a most unAmi-like way."

"A new enemy," Usagi guessed, picking up her hairbrush with a sigh. "I should call the other girls, and Mamo-chan."

"Mamoru's still out of town, Usagi," Luna reminded her. "Don't call him just yet. Maybe it's not so bad."

The future Queen of Crystal Tokyo turned to give her royal advisor an offended look. "Luna, I'm not that dumb! This is something big!" She finished twisting a bun into place, and put a hand over her heart. "I can feel it."

"Why don't you let Rei be the psychic one?" Luna advised, leaping onto the dresser as her charge started on the other side of her hair. "You're intuition hasn't always been the most trustworthy."

"Hey! Who had the nightmare last night, missy? I have plenty trustworthy intuition!" Usagi tied the bun securely, and glanced at her wrist. "All the same, it can't hurt to find out if Rei's feeling anything."

"Hurry up," ordered Luna. "We promised Ami we would be there soon."

Usagi ignored her as she activated her communicator. "Rei? Are you awake?" No answer came. Frowning, she raised her voice. "Rei! Wake up!" Still nothing. "REI!!!!"

Wincing, Luna wondered once again at the power of the tiny girl's lungs.

"She's not answering," Usagi stated dully. "What if something happened to her?"

Without further warning, she raced out of her room and down the stairs, barely pausing at the door to put on her shoes. "Mom, I'm going over to Rei's!"

"Usagi? Are you alright?"

Mrs. Tsukino appeared just as Usagi finished tying her laces. She jumped up, kissed her mother on the cheek, and ran out the door. Luna barely managed to slip through the door before it slammed shut on her tail. She gave a mighty leap, attached herself to Usagi's shoulder.

"What about Ami?!?"

"Right!" Still running, Usagi again toyed with her communicator. "Minako! Are you there?"

"I'm here. What is it?"

Minako looked as tired and despondent as Ami. Her blue eyes had none of their usual sparkle, and her golden hair hung in her eyes.

"What happened to you?" Usagi asked, not checking for traffic as she darted into the road. Luna closed her eyes and prayed as she heard tires squeal.

"Nothing, I just didn't sleep great last night," the other blonde explained, her voice strangely hollow. "Where are you, anyway?"

"Running to the Temple!"

She perked up a bit, alarmed. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, Rei's not answering me. Could you go over to Ami's? She trashed her room last night, and now she doesn't know why! Just go be with her, and I'll get there as soon as I can!"

"Usagi, look out!" Luna screamed.

The klutzy blonde could be surprisingly agile when her life depended on it. She managed to leap out of the way of the speeding bike, ignoring shouted insults from the rider.

"Alright, I'll go to Ami's," Minako promised. "You just get to Rei's alive!"

"Bye!"

Usagi seemed intent on getting herself injured and/or killed, though, as she again used the device on her wrist. "Mako-chan! Wake up!"

"I'm awake!"

Makoto's voice sounded twice as strained as those of Ami and Minako. She appeared looking tired, her brow furrowed in deep alarm. "Usagi, now isn't the greatest time-"

"Did you have a nightmare? Did you trash your room?" the running girl interrupted.

"What? No! It's just... The police are here."

Usagi came to such a sudden halt that Luna flew off her shoulder and into a bush. "What happened?!? Are you hurt?!?"

"No," Luna heard Makoto say slowly. "It's just, there was an... accident in the apartment next to mine. I have to talk to them. I'll get back to you."

The communicator fell silent, and Usagi stared at it in worry for a long moment. Then she spun, and took off again.

"Please watch where you're going!" Luna shrieked, racing after her. "No, Usagi, look, there's a car- Oh!"

Amazingly, the pair made it to the Temple quite alive. They bound up the steps and crashed in the front door. Without pausing to remove her shoes, Usagi flew down the hall to Rei's room.

The dark haired priestess lay in her bed, her eyes closed in seemingly peaceful sleep. She did not wake as Usagi threw herself on the bed, shouting her name.

"Rei! Rei! Are you alright?"

Luna jumped up onto the other side. She moved close to Rei's face, looking intently as Usagi picked up her friend's hand. The girl gasped.

"She's ice cold, Luna!"

"I don't think," the cat began slowly, "Usagi, I don't think she's breathing."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just a bit of a filler chapter. Really, stick with me! The next few chapters get better!

Disclaimer: I still own know part of Sailor Moon or any of these characters.

"HINO REI, YOU WAKE UP RIGHT NOW! DO YOU HERE ME?!? RIGHT NOW!!!"

Rei felt herself being shaken, _hard._ She opened her eyes blearily to find herself face to face with a crying Usagi.

"Are you crazy?" she asked. "What are you doing? Let go!"

Instead of letting go, Usagi threw herself onto Rei's neck and burst into sobs. "You're alive!"

"I know I'm alive! What is the matter with you?"

Luna appeared at her side, looking greatly relieved. "When we came in, you weren't breathing!"

"What?!?" Rei looked to Usagi, to see her nod a tearful confirmation. "I must have been breathing! I'm still alive!"

"You weren't!" Usagi argued stubbornly. "You scared me so much!"

Shaking her head, Rei pulled the blanket closer around her. She felt strangely cold. Her friend quickly moved to help, tucking it around her shoulders. "There! Is that better?"

"Usagi, I'm fine!" The fiery girl tried to keep her voice sharp, but it was always hard to be mad at Usagi when she was being so sweet.

"You're not fine. No one is fine! Ami and Minako have been crying, and Makoto said there was some kind of accident in her apartment building, and I haven't had time to even call Haruka, and oh, Rei, I had the most horrible dream last night!"

"Last night..." Rei sat up straighter. "Last night, I felt it! There's some horrible new evil in Tokyo!"

Whatever response she had expected, it wasn't for Usagi to turn to Luna smugly and say, "I told you so!"

"Usagi, pay attention!" Luna ordered.

"Right." She turned back to Rei. "What kind of evil?"

"I don't know. It felt like... like a maggot in an apple! It felt like something foul trying to gnaw it's way into everything sweet. It made me feel sick to my stomach. But then I..."

She froze, remembering what she had done last night. Usagi leaned forward with concern.

"What? What happened last night?"

"I gave up."

The blue eyes across from her showed no understanding. "Gave up what?"

"Everything! Everything we stand for, everything we are! I should have called you the second I felt that thing, but I just rolled over and went back to sleep. No, not even that. I wanted everything, all our problems, the whole world, to just disappear. _I_ wanted to disappear."

Usagi just looked worried, but Luna slowly said, "That's not like you."

"I know it's not, but last night-"

"No, wait. It's not like you to give up, and it's not like Ami to go into a frenzy where she destroys her room," Luna explained. "But both of you did just that last night."

"So it's not you!" Usagi added cheerfully. "It's this new evil, right?"

Rei pondered this, then nodded. "That actually makes a kind of sense. Last night, just before I fell asleep, I felt like the air got thicker. I felt like reality got thick, and _twisted_ somehow. It did something to the world. It _changed_ the world, just by being in it."

"That doesn't sound good," Usagi muttered.

Luna lay down on the bed with her chin on her front paws. "You'd best get up and get dressed, Rei. We have to go over to Ami's to talk to the other girls."

As Rei did that, she saw Usagi touch her communicator. A moment later, she heard Haruka's voice.

"What is it, kitten?"

"Something weird is going on," Usagi said. "Is everyone alright?"

A long pause followed, before Haruka said, "Of course! We're fine!"

"Well, in that case, can you meet us at Ami's? We need to talk. All of us."

Another pause, as they all heard Michiru's voice in the background. "Hotaru, open this door!"

"We'll be there in about an hour," Haruka promised.

Usagi raised an eyebrow at Rei. "What was that all about?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry I'm taking forever to get this started, but I live in a madhouse where there is always a distraction. Between dogs needing emergency vet runs, and a very near disastrous experiment in the kitchen, it's amazing I've written anything!

Disclaimer: I still own no part of Sailor Moon or any of these characters.

Haruka woke much calmer than she had the night before. The sun came through the windows and kissed her cheek. After a moment, a pair of lips did the same.

"Good morning, love."

She felt Michiru snuggle her head into the crook of her shoulder. Yawning, she reached up to hug her close. Silky hair fell all around them, and Haruka gently brushed it back. She trailed her fingers down Michiru's arm, feeling a sleepy giggle against her neck.

"That tickles."

Lowering her face, Haruka brushed her lips across the top of the aquamarine head. Michiru raised up onto her elbow to lean in for a real kiss. An explosion of pounding made both jump.

"What in the world?!?" Haruka demanded, sitting up quickly. She raised her voice to shout, "What's going on?!?"

The soft sound of bare feet running across the floor greeted her question, then the door flew open. Setsuna hurried in, looking very pale and worried.

"I can't get into Hotaru's room! There's something in front of the door, and she won't answer me!"

Both the other women scrambled out of bed, Michiru reaching for her long, cream-colored bathrobe. She took two steps, tying her belt, then stopped. Her face grew whiter than even Setsuna's.

"Hotaru!"

"What is it?" Haruka demanded, hurrying to her side. "Michiru, what's wrong?"

"I just remembered! Last night, I went to get a drink of water, and I heard the strangest sounds coming out of Hotaru's room!"

Setsuna looked taken aback, but suddenly Haruka, too, recalled the night before. She looked at her lover with shock. Last night, Michiru had pushed her away coldly, indifferent to her pain.

"What was she doing?" Setsuna asked, unaware of Haruka's alarm.

"I don't know. I didn't check." Michiru looked wretched. "Oh, God, how could I have done such a thing? And..."

She spun to Haruka, beautiful eyes wide with horror. "No! I would never have said those things! I didn't mean them! Oh, Haruka!"

The taller, roguish Senshi caught her beloved as she threw herself into her arms. Setsuna looked worriedly at Michiru, clinging to Haruka's neck.

"I'm so sorry! Please, don't be angry!"

"I'm not angry," Haruka said dully. "But we need to get into Hotaru's room."

Michiru stepped back, eyeing her face nervously. "You are angry. I don't blame you. I was cruel."

Something changed in Setsuna's face, as though she, too, suddenly remembered something terrible. Lifting a hand to her head, she closed her eyes, a pained look on her face. Then she shook herself, and forced her eyes open.

"Haruka's right. We need to get to Hotaru," the dark haired woman said. "Come on."

The other two followed her into the hall. Just as they reached their surrogate daughter's room, they heard Usagi's voice issuing from Haruka's wrist.

"Haruka?"

She stopped, and looked into the communicator. "What is it, kitten?"

"Something weird is going on. Is everyone alright?"

Haruka looked up at both her pale, distracted companion's, trying to force the door open.

"Of course! We're fine!"

"Well, in that case, can you meet us at Ami's? We need to talk. All of us."

"Hotaru, open this door!"

Haruka smiled reassuringly at her young friend. "We'll be there in about an hour."

She did not wait for a response, cutting the conversation short. Setsuna and Michiru both threw their shoulders against the door, but it would not budge. They gritted their teeth and shoved with all their might. The door remained firm.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Haruka cried. "Stand back! URANUS, WORLD SH-!"

Michiru leapt forward, slapping a hand over her mouth. "You'll destroy the whole house!"

"Why don't we try the window?" Setsuna added, eyeing Haruka nervously.

As Haruka lowered her hands, and Michiru released her mouth, they heard a tiny voice. "Setsuna-mama? Michiru-mama? Haruka-papa? Are you there?"

"HOTARU!"

All three flung themselves at the door again, pressing their ears against the wood. "We're here, sweetheart!" Setsuna called. "What's going on in there?"

"I'm locked in my closet!"

"Your closet doesn't lock!" Haruka yelled back, confused.

"I know, but I can't get it open!"

Michiru jiggled the door handle. "Why can't we open the door?"

"The bed is in front of it."

The three exchanged baffled looks, but as one decided they would ask questions later.

"Mama? Mama? Papa? I really can't get out! Help!" Hotaru's voice sounded terrified.

Suddenly, Michiru appeared possessed by a demon. She stepped back, and kicked the door as hard as she could. It shuttered and groaned. She kicked again, and the barest crack appeared. With almost a growl, she hurled herself at the offending wood, and sent it toppling down onto the bed.

Haruka sped by her, crawling over the door and the bed, making straight for the closet. A book had somehow lodged itself in the crack between door and floor. She kicked it away and flung the door wide.

Crying out with joy, Hotaru ran out into their arms. "Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, Setsuna-mama, I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, sweetie," Michiru reassured her. "You just scared us a little."

"No! You don't understand! I thought such terrible things about you last night, and I know they're not true, because you do love me!" She lifted her face from Setsuna's shoulder to look at them all forlornly. "Don't you?"

"Of course we do!" Haruka shouted. "Why would you think we didn't?"

Michiru rubbed Hotaru's back soothingly, but her eyes had taken on a strange, distant look. "You thought these things last night? Never before?"

"No! I promise!"

Beautiful, sea-blue eyes met Haruka's. "Perhaps we should hurry and meet the others at Ami's. Last night appears to have been most eventful."

Osaka Naru yawned as she walked through the park. She had woken the night before from the strangest dream, and couldn't get back to sleep ever since. Dropping exhaustedly onto a bench, she covered her face with her hands and tried to remember what the dream had been about. It danced just beyond her memory, taunting her.

"It doesn't matter, I guess," she muttered into her hands. "But I can almost... Argh!"

Naru groaned with frustration, letting her head fall to lay against the back of the bench without opening her eyes. She didn't even realize someone stood beside her until she heard a voice that should not have been there.

"N-naru?"

Her eyes flew open wide, and she gasped.

Yra: I'm sure you can all guess who it is. ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: For those of you who couldn't guess, for some reason I can't get my stories to space right. I apologize for any difficulty this causes, and will continue chastising my computer until it obeys me. Special Thanks go to Kishi (You make me blush!), Starfighter626 (Glad you like it!), Lokileysmith (Hope you like the next bit as much!), and Verloren, (Hope I can live up to your expectations!) _

_Disclaimer: I still own no part of Sailor Moon or any of these characters. _

Makoto hurried down the street, her eyes focused on the grass under her feet. She was cutting across a park, the fastest route to Ami's. As she walked, she found she could not focus on the beauty of the day. Even the soul shaking terror of the previous night paled in comparison to the horror she had found in the morning. She closed her eyes, pressing the heels of her hands against the lids.

The picture played over and over again against the darkness. The thin trail of crimson spilling from under the door into the hallway, her trembling hand reaching for the knob, the resistance as she pushed the door, the giving, and inside the apartment...

"Stop!" she cried out. Her hands fell back to her sides, and she broke into a run. All she wanted was to reach the safety of her friends.

Reaching a small clump of bushes, Makoto had to slow back to a walk as she pushed her way through. Her sleeve caught on a branch. She tugged hard, ripping free and stumbling directly into a tall, warm body. Gasping, she spun around, her face flushing.

"_Gomen!_" she cried, embarrassed. Her eyes only had time to take in the strangely familiar boots and gray pants before he spoke.

"Jupiter?"

Her eyes snapped up, past the soot gray tunic to the handsome, angelic face haloed with golden hair. Millennia fell away, and her head spun dizzily. She raised a hand to her forehead, feeling strangely distant, almost as though she had, without warning, been dropped into a dream. For a split second, she heard voices, happy voices, laughing. Then a voice not her own spoke a name in warm tones. The memory slipped thousands of years forward to fall from Makoto's lips.

"Jadeite."

Senshi and Shitennou stared at one another, blue eyes on green, both frozen with shock. Makoto's mind groped desperately to understand. This man was dead. He couldn't be standing before her, his expression as stunned as hers. It had to be an illusion, a strange hallucination from her exhausted mind.

"You're not real," she whimpered.

"Jupiter, what's happening?" Jadeite demanded, his voice sharp but trembling. "I can't remember... Where is Mars? Where is Nephrite?"

"Nephrite," Makoto whispered in broken tones, "is dead. Just like you."

"I'm not dead!" he argued. "Look at me!"

"You _are _dead! You're all dead! You're not real!"

"What do you mean, all dead? The others? Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite..."

"Dead, dead, dead."

"Where's Mars!?!" he yelled. "Is she...? She can't be! Tell me where she is!"

He lunged forward, grabbing her shoulders fiercely. His grip hurt, and all at once, Makoto could not deny it. Impossible as it might be, Jadeite was a living, breathing man standing before her.

_A living, breathing man who broke the heart of one of my best friend's. A living, breathing man who tried to kill so many innocents. A living, breathing man who helped that monster destroy my kingdom!_

Rage welled up in her heart, real, pure fury that sliced through her confusion and dismay. She reared back, and swung with all her might. Her fist slammed into his jaw, and he staggered back.

"What the hell are you doing?!?"

"YOU BASTARD!" Makoto shouted. "YOU TRAITOR! You stay away from Rei! Stay away from us all! You've hurt enough people!"

"Traitor?!? What are you talking about?!?" Jadeite cried. "Who did I hurt?!?"

Instead of answering, Makoto plunged her hand into her pocket. Her wand fell into her hand, and she pulled it out. "JUPITER STAR POW-"

"You lunatic!" He kicked the wand free of her fingers. "Are you trying to kill me?!?"

"YES!" Makoto yelled. "Apparently we didn't kill you enough last time! You should have stayed dead! You deserve it, after what you did to our home!"

Jadeite froze, blue eyes wide. She pressed her advantage, not even trying to recover her wand. Her foot lashed out, catching him in the stomach with shattering force. He doubled over, wrapping his arms around himself protectively. She brought her elbow down on the back of his neck, and he sprawled to the ground.

"Jupiter, stop! Wait!"

"NO!" She dove across the grass, her hand seizing up her wand. She turned to find Jadeite struggling to his feet. She held up the wand, as though it's very presence might keep him at bay. It seemed to work, as he backed away, eyeing the green jewel nervously. Makoto kept it leveled at him until he slipped carefully out of the bushes.

The second he disappeared, Makoto turned and ran as fast as her long legs would carry her. She pushed out of the little wooded hollow, and raced up the street towards the Mizuno's palatial mansion.

"Ami!" she cried breathlessly, hitting the call button by the gate.

"Makoto? Come in!"

She dashed up the long drive, then ran straight into the house, slamming the door behind her. Turning quickly, she found herself faced with every Senshi, from Mercury to Pluto, plus both cats, staring at her in wonder. She gulped down several breaths, her hands on her knees, as Haruka came forward.

"What happened?" the older girl asked, rubbing her back gently. "Are you alright? Breathe slower. In through your nose, out through-"

"Jadeite!"

"_Nani_?" Eight voices chorused

"JADEITE!" Makoto shouted. "I saw him!"

"When? Where?" Minako asked, her eyes more concerned than alarmed.

"On the way here! I wasn't looking where I was going, and I ran straight into him, right there in the park!"

"Mako-chan, you're very upset," Ami reminded her unnecessarily. "Are you sure it was Jadeite, and not just someone who _looked_ like Jadeite?"

"He was wearing a Shitennou uniform, and he called me Jupiter!"

"Oh!" Ami's eyes widened with shock. "But, no, that's not possible! Jadeite died!"

"So did we," Makoto reminded her. "Several times, in fact."

"But we had the Crystal, and... and it doesn't make sense!" Usagi interposed.

Makoto straightened and kicked off her shoes. "I know, but I _saw_ him. I touched him. I punched him! He's real!"

"You punched him?" Setsuna asked.

"Of course. I wasn't going to wait for him to attack me."

"Good call," Haruka agreed, smiling proudly. "Did you hit him with your Sparkling Wide Pressure, or Oak Evolution?"

"Actually, I just hit him."

"Where is he now?" Minako interrupted.

Makoto shrugged a little, embarrassed. "He retreated, and I ran here. Maybe I should have gone after him."

"Absolutely not!" Luna said firmly from her place on Ami's head. "We have no idea what is doing all this, and until we find out what we're up against, you should all be careful!"

"What's doing all of what?" Makoto asked. "Did I miss something?"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, casting quick looks at each other, then glancing away. Finally, Usagi moved up beside Haruka, laying her hand on Makoto's shoulder. Her blue eyes looked gentle and sympathetic.

"Did something happen to you last night?" her Princess asked. "Were you angry, or sad, or... anything weird?"

Makoto looked to the others. "You all felt something strange last night?"

Everyone nodded, and, of all things, relief flooded her. She sagged weakly against the wall, and breathed a thankful sigh. "So I'm not going crazy."

"What was it, Mako-chan?" Haruka asked. "What did you feel?"

"Terror." Makoto raised wet green eyes to her friends, her sisters, her family. "I have never been so scared in my whole life. I couldn't even tell you what I was afraid of. I just felt like something horrible was waiting to pounce on me at any second. I was so scared I couldn't even move! And then, this morning..."

After nearly a minute of silence, Michiru gently prompted, "This morning?"

Makoto took a deep breath. "This morning, I decided to go for a jog and run off my fear. I got out of my apartment, and... Oh, God!"

Her hands covered her face as Makoto gave a choked sob. She felt two sets of arms wrap protectively around her, as Haruka and Usagi hugged her from either side. The three rocked back and forth for a moment, both girls making sweet, soothing noises. Finally, she recovered her voice.

"From under my neighbor's door, there was... blood. I stepped right into it before I saw it. I tried the knob, and it wasn't locked, which was weird, because Mr. Senno always locks his door. I pushed it open, and it hit something. Then that something moved, and I looked in. I saw Mr. Senno, laying in front of the door. He was laying face down." Makoto had to pause again to swallow back the bile rising in her throat. "I turned him over, to see if I could help him."

"He was dead?" Setsuna guessed in a hushed voice.

"I wish he had been," Makoto whispered wretchedly. "That may sound terrible, but if you had seen him... He was clinging to this shard of glass in his hand.. I thought at first he _was _dead, but when I rolled him over, he swung the shard at me. He couldn't see me, though, because..." Makoto looked up suddenly, her eyes finding the littlest Senshi, holding tightly to Michiru's and Minako's hands. "Maybe Hotaru shouldn't hear this."

"I'm fine," Hotaru whispered shakily. She raised her chin bravely, and added in a firmer tone, "I want to help everyone."

Setsuna frowned uneasily at her little "daughter", but finally nodded her agreement. "Why couldn't he see you, Mako-chan?"

"His eyes were cut out."

"Oh!" Minako cried out, horrified. She drew Hotaru protectively closer. The little Senshi of Silence clung tighter to both the older girls' hands, but kept her face mostly calm.

"Will he be alright?" Hotaru asked quietly.

"I don't know," Makoto said. "I called an ambulance, and the police. The police took forever to show up."

"Terrible things have been happening all over the city," Ami explained. "The news was full of awful reports. They probably had to finish with another crime scene first."

"Actually, they don't think Mr. Senno's apartment is a crime scene, necessarily," Makoto said slowly. "They asked everyone in the apartments around his, and none of us heard him scream once. They think he cut out his _own _eyes."

"No!" Usagi gasped. "Not Mr. Senno!"

"Why would he do that?" Rei added.

"Why would Hotaru barricade herself into her bedroom?" Artemis asked, perched on Minako's shoulder. "Why would Ami destroy her room, or Makoto be too afraid to move? He was probably possessed by whatever force made you all act the way you did last night. Maybe he thought he saw something terrible."

"Mr. Senno is really old," Minako reminded them all. "He fought in the war, right? Maybe he remembered something bad."

"There are plenty of bad things to remember from war," Setsuna agreed softly.

Rei groaned, rolling her eyes. "So, do we actually _know_ anything?"

"We know plenty," Minako said. "We just need to figure out what it means. Ami, is your computer all right?"

"Yeah. I just broke the one from school. I'll go get the other one."

"What happened to her computer?" Makoto asked, confused.

Haruka and Usagi began leading her towards the living room. "Sit down. This could take awhile."


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except my ideas. I work for barely more than minimum wage. Don't bother suing. _

Eyes closed, Jadeite sat with his back against the tree, rubbing his sore jaw. He had nearly vomited from the force of Jupiter's kick, and her final blow had left him crawling helplessly away. Once he felt certain she wasn't following, he slumped against a convenient tree and groaned in pain.

"What happened to you?"

Jadeite craned his sore neck back to glare up at the tall figure looming over him. "Nephrite's 'Emerald Thunder Goddess.' I can't believe he actually calls her that."

"You've called Mars worse," the tall man reminded him. "Something along the lines of the 'Brightest Flame in the Universe,' wasn't it? Oh, and your Burning-"

"Alright, already! Besides, Mars is somewhat sane! Jupiter is crazed! She punched me. Then she kicked me. Then she hit me again. Leave me alone."

"Jupiter hit you?" A second man moved up beside the first, and green eyes peered down at him in concern. "Are you alright?"

"No. She has a very strong arm. Remind me to tell Nephrite I deplore his taste in women."

"Where _is _Nephrite?" Kunzite wondered, looking around somewhat dazedly.

"No idea. I've been too busy trying to remember how to breathe to go looking for anyone." Jadeite closed his eyes again and sighed. "She also has a very powerful kick. She might have broken a rib."

Zoisite knelt beside him, probing his side gently. Jadeite hissed at him in pain, but his friend ignored him. "Nothing broken. You're probably just bruised."

"Why did she attack you?" Kunzite asked. "What did you do to make her so angry?"

"Betrayed the Moon Kingdom, betrayed our Prince, helped Beryl destroy the Silver Millennium, then came back in another life to serve Beryl again against the Senshi and to steal energy for that monster, Metalia, who poisoned all our minds and destroyed everything we once loved. You did the same, so I'd stay out of her path."

Zoisite stared hard at him, shaking his head. "No. We didn't-"

"We did," Kunzite whispered. "I remember now. When I woke up this morning, all I could think of was the Prince, and Venus. But now I remember what Beryl did to us. Good God, we hurt them. All those people."

"We weren't ourselves," Zoisite reminded them desperately. "She raped our minds, poisoned them!"

"Maybe," Jadeite answered dully. "I don't think that excuse is going to get us far with the Senshi. What's more, we're supposed to be dead. Jupiter made it very clear that is the way she prefers us."

Kunzite stared blankly down at a tree root. "That doesn't matter."

"My ribs beg to differ," Jadeite muttered.

"It doesn't matter, because we can't change the past," the ivory haired Shitennou insisted. "All we can do is our duty. We need to find our Prince."

"I don't think he's going to be very willing to accept our service, either."

"We'll find him, and make him believe us," Zoisite said hopefully. "He'll understand."

"Perhaps..." Kunzite looked up at last, meeting his friends eyes. "Perhaps we were brought back for this chance to finally make amends. Perhaps we can finally fulfill our duty."


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Still own nothing, still poor. _

"Hmm." Ami sank onto the couch, a frown of concentration etched between her brows. She began to type on her computer quickly, talking all the while. "Well, let's see. Whatever it is, it made all of us act completely unlike our usual selves. It seems to be unspecific as to its targets, too. It affected most, if not all, of Tokyo last night. That's different from most our enemies, but Queen Beryl did that. However, it isn't sucking energy, or least not in a way that I can detect. Now, are we agreed that Usagi's dream was about the Enemy, and not a result of whatever power it emitted last night?"

"Yes," Rei said. Everyone formed a sort of bemused semi-circle around their resident genius, watching her work.

"So it might be after souls," Ami muttered. "You said it tried to eat you?"

"It _did_ eat me!" Usagi corrected.

"Rei, _you_ say that it seemed to twist the world, that it's very presence changed reality," Ami continued, unperturbed. "Which might explain the return of Jadeite, though whether it did that purposefully, or whether that is just a random result, we don't know yet. If it _did_ bring back one Shitennou, it could very well have brought them all back. We should watch for them. What else?"

"It's stronger at night," Minako said. "Everyone felt better during the day, right? Except Mr. Senno, of course."

"Good point!" Artemis beamed proudly at his charge as Ami added this information.

"So it's weakness may be light, or the sun. If it's like Usagi's description, it should be very big, but it might be able to disguise itself somehow. Most our enemies can, so we'll keep that in mind. What else?"

"It doesn't just make us act different, it makes us do terrible things, and think terrible thoughts," Setsuna brought up. "It brings out our darkest thoughts and fears. It seems to be targeting our weaknesses."

"But why?" Ami squinted at her screen, her fingers finally stilled. "What does it want? It makes us act in these horrible ways, but it hasn't really attacked us."

Usagi, staring out the window, spoke suddenly in a strange, faraway voice. "The thing I dreamed of... there was no light, no joy. It was all-consuming darkness and destruction."

"What if- oh, dear!" Ami looked up at them all with a horrified expression. "What if it's trying to make this place like it's own home?"

"Maybe," Setsuna murmured. "I've never heard of anything like this. It's almost like it's something from outside the Time Line."

"Something outside the Time Line, something that twists reality," Ami whispered. "Hang on! I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Rei asked as she ran for the stairs.

"I have this book in my room-"

Makoto winced, but called, "Um, Ami? No you don't."

She stopped in the doorway , her shoulders slumping. "I forgot."

"What book?" Michiru called gently. "Maybe we can find it at the library."

"It's a book on Stephen Hawkings' theories of physics," Ami explained.

Usagi leapt to her feet triumphantly. "I know where we can find that! Mamo-chan's apartment!"

"Usagi, Mamoru's out of town," Haruka pointed out.

Grinning, the bouncy blonde reached into her pocket. "Tada! The spare key!"

"Oh, good! Mamoru has so many interesting books!" Ami brightened delightedly. "Come on!"

"Are you sure Mamoru won't mind us all barging into his apartment while he isn't here?" Michiru asked as the group moved towards the door.

"Don't worry! He can't get mad if it's an emergency, right?"


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Special Thanks goes to serene amethyst, for the sweet, encouraging review. To everyone reading, you rock!_

_Disclaimer: If I owned it, would the Shitennou have all ended up dead? I think not. _

Black vortex eyes traveled up and down the street, watching. No living being stirred about the city block. Instinct and intuition warned even the bravest of hearts not to go where the Creature tread.

Smiling Its cold smile, the Creature finally stepped from the alley, where It had hidden the day away, undisturbed, watching. Even in the safety of the sun's warmth and light, people passing by had skirted anxiously around the mouth of Its cave, not realizing the golden rays of the thriving star held It at bay. Now, as Japan turned its back to the sun, and Its native darkness stretched across the city, the Creature ventured forth.

It stepped onto the concrete, flinching from the artificial glow of the streetlights automatically. While not as searing as a star's glow, the Creature's natural dread of, and desire for, light made It open Its dusky lips. The illumination bent and twisted, drawn inevitably past the dark mouth and through the sharp fangs. The black tongue lolled out, stretching almost a meter out into the air. It gathered the light with a great, long lick.

Every light on the city block went dark.

The Creature licked Its lips, feeling the false luminosity flicker inside and warm Its body for a second. Then the darkness within crushed the light, and the cold returned.

Thin nostrils quivered as It scented the air. It turned left, then right, towards more street lights, and the warm light of sleeping souls. It paused, considering which direction would be safest in this strange new world, when It saw something to make it pause. Far down the street to Its left, one building glowed brighter than any other. Somehow, it housed the brightest and warmest of souls in the city.

It turned left. It walked unhurriedly, pausing at each corner to open Its unholy mouth. Every block fell into darkness before Its path. As It devoured the light, the people in their beds shivered and moaned. Even in sleep they felt the joy sucked from their souls. Children, always more sensitive than their cynical elders, woke crying silently in the night, knowing deep in their hearts a monster lurked nearby. The old sat up in bed, gasping for breath suddenly stolen from age weakened lungs. Babies cried out once, then fell silent, little lives swallowed by the hungry Creature prowling the streets.

At last It reached Its destination. The brilliant souls shone from high above, and eyes accustomed to perpetual darkness shied away for a moment. But It wanted, more than anything, to know what could possibly produce such a beautiful white radiance of purity and warmth.

It extended Its razor claws, sinking them straight into the heavy shadows that surrounded the building. Climbing the dark, It made Its way past many windows, unheeding of the whimpers and cries from the sleeping. It found the apartment It wanted, and looked inside.

Nine humans lay about one room, all but two sleeping. They all appeared to be what the Creature had learned were called "women." They looked very different, but their bodies were all shaped somewhat similarly, and they smelled alike.

The beautiful, pure white light It saw from the outside came not from one soul, but the harmonious blending of all nine different colored souls into one light. It looked closer, interested in such brilliant souls, brighter than even others of their own species.

A beautiful, twilight purple glow came from the smallest of the "women", sleeping quietly in the arms of another, a larger person with a sparkling green soul. The green wrapped around the purple, not over powering it, but holding it safe.

Dark silver shown around the tallest of the people, a person whispering quietly with the owner of a soft azure soul, pulsating with brilliant waking thoughts. They sat in the center of the room, unaware of their silent audience.

It looked to the pair sleeping near them with interest. Neither touched the other, but cerulean light swirled with turquoise, twisting into a tight twine leading from one heart to another. This, It guessed, was what the humans called "love."

Flaming red and molten gold illuminated the two sleepers laying on either side of the brightest soul of all. The fire and sunlight laced together to form a kind of shield around the light between them, but could not contain all of that dazzling silver soul.

Black lips began to open, and the lights quivered. It took a long, slow, deep breath, the brilliant souls bending towards Its hungry mouth. The pair awake in the center of the floor began to droop, while the sleepers moaned.

Just as the first of the souls' light reached Its lips, the brightest woman bolted upright. She looked straight through the window to the Creature hovering outside. Crystal blue eyes locked with vortex black, and her lips parted in a silent cry.

Brilliant silver light erupted from her chest.

Screaming, the Creature fell to the ground, clawed hands over Its eyes. The flash of light blinded It; the heat burnt It. It lay crumpled on the ground in a small ball of pain for a long time.

When the hands fell away, the face beneath no longer looked like a waking nightmare. Sweet and heart shaped, framed by long black pigtails, the face of a young girl with black eyes turned up towards the window again. The silver had dimmed, and only a soft white glow issued from the room far above.

The Creature held up the tiny hands. Flexing dainty fingers, wicked claws appeared, then retracted. Dark lips, no longer terrifying to behold, but now small and pouting, turned up into a little smile. A dark tongue flicked out between small, even white teeth.

The guise of the silver woman, tainted with the darkness of the Creature's nature, made for a most convenient disguise. Smoothing the black dress over a deceptively delicate body, the Creature rose to Its feet. It chose retreat, until It gathered the strength to face such a light.

Tonight, It would wander Its new domain, this place called Tokyo, and look for something more satisfying than electric light, sleeping warmth, and infant souls.

Blocks away, back the way the Creature had come, a drunken man stumbled over the curb. He gathered himself, belched, and staggered to the wall for a moment's rest. He leaned on the corner of the building, blinking blearily around himself. At last, he remembered in which direction his home lay.

Pushing off the wall, he paused, looking down the alley between the two buildings. A primitive fear of the darkness within made him pause, as did the strange feeling that something lay hidden, whispering, in the shadows. But he did not believe in monsters, or so he told himself, and his wife would be worried. This alley would be a short cut to home.

He took one step into that forsaken place. Before he could lift his foot again, the hissing whisper of perpetual darkness crawled up into his ears. A terrible force seized him, sweeping him forward. The rip in reality the Creature left when It entered a world not Its own let loose a snarl of triumph.

One scream woke the woman in a nearby apartment. She sat up, waiting for a repetition of the sound. When none came, she wondered if the scream came from the terrible dream which had haunted her all night. She lay back down in the dark under her open window, listening to the wind. As it murmured to her, she realized she did not care where the sound came from. What did it matter, anyway?

What did anything matter?

Deep in the shadows of the alley, the wound in reality continued to bleed whispers from the Abyss.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I own no part of the Sailor Moon universe but this story idea._

_"Endymion!" _

Jolting awake, Chiba Mamoru heard the echo of a sweet voice ringing in his head. He looked around wildly for a moment, a name on the tip of his tongue. He caught himself just before he cried out, "Serenity!"

The bus continued on its way through nighttime Tokyo. The rest of the passengers seemed unaware of his sudden waking, for which he was grateful. He let his head fall back against the seat and sighed.

_Just another dream, Chiba. Relax._

After the dream of the night before, Mamoru felt anything but relaxed. He enjoyed the summer study trip to an Ancient Temple with one of his favorite professors immensely. It lasted only one week, just long enough for him to really begin missing his Usako. While he feared whatever baked treats his beloved _odango atama _might have ready to spring on him, he had been eager to see her again as the trip drew to a close.

But when he had lay himself down to sleep in his hotel room for the last time, the nightmare came.

_The sound of crying led him at a run down the long hall. When he reached a corner, he paused to listen. The weeping seemed to come from both directions. He chose at random, and raced along until he came to a solid wall barring his path._

_Turning, he tried the other way. He skidded through more corridors, finding more dead ends. The crying grew louder._

_"What's wrong?" he shouted. "Where are you?" _

_No answer came but the sobs._

_Mamoru turned another corner, and suddenly before him hung two heavy black curtains. Certain the crying came from the other side, he rushed to throw them open. He came out onto a balcony bathed in silver moonlight, and froze with horror._

_"Endymion!" Neo-Queen Serenity knelt on the stone, her white dress stained with red. "Where were you? Oh, my Small Lady!"_

_The blood on her dress was not her own. Clasped in her arms, the limp body of Chibiusa did not stir as her mother rocked her and wailed. Her little head fell back, and wide, empty eyes stared accusingly at her father. _

_"No," Mamoru gasped in horror. _

_"You did not protect her!" Serenity railed against him. "Where were you when our daughter needed you? How could you abandon her?"_

_"NO!" _

Even warm and safe on the bus, Mamoru could not shake off the terrifying sight of his child dead in his beloved's arms. The entire day, meant to be spent in one last tour of the Temple, all he wanted to do was run home, seize up Usagi in his arms, and know everything was alright.

_I should have called her._ He nearly had at least a dozen times, but he did not want his fear to carry over to her. She could be very excitable.

Now, woken suddenly with her voice calling out to him in fear, he wished he hadn't been so sensible.

_She has Luna and the Senshi to keep her safe,_ he reminded himself, watching the street lights go by. _They protected her just fine while you were in America. As long as she's got the other girls, she'll be safe._

With these thoughts as his only comfort, and not doing a very good job soothing his nerves, Mamoru leapt off the bus at the college with great relief. He gave a hurried goodbye to his classmates and professor, slung his duffle bag across his shoulders, and went to the bike that stood waiting for him. His fellow trip goers watched in wonder as he peeled out at a reckless speed entirely unlike the mature, rational Chiba they all knew.

He gunned the engine for more speed, happy for the strangely empty roads. It might be well after midnight, but Tokyo rarely passed so quiet a night. As it made his journey easier, he did not think much about it.

Instead of heading for his own apartment, he took a sharp corner, flying through a residential area. Happy family homes sped past, and he slowed to a halt in front of the Tsukino house. No lights shone from the windows, and he heard no sounds to make him believe anyone was still awake.

_I'll just peek through the window and see her. I won't wake her._

He leapt up onto the windowsill of Usagi's bedroom, as he had done occasionally in the past, carefully peeking through the curtains. If, for some strange reason, she still sat up awake, he did not want to scare her. His eyes fell onto her bed, and froze.

Empty.

_Calm down! She's staying over with one of the other girls! She's a teenager, they do things like that!_

Mamoru dropped back to the ground, putting his hand over his heart and willing it to slow. There could be a million reasons she wasn't sleeping there. Luna, also, appeared to be gone, so wherever they went, they probably went together.

Crossing the street to his bike again, he wildly considered going by each and every girl's house until he found them all. While he loved Usagi more than anything else in the universe, except Chibiusa, each of the Senshi held a special place in his heart. He wanted to know all of them were safe.

However, running from the house of one young girl to another might get him arrested, which would certainly make finding Usagi more difficult. So he paused while putting on his helmet, took a long breath, and ordered himself to think clearly. He could simply call Makoto and the Outer Senshi, all of whom did not have parents to be angry with late night calls. Someone knew where his Usako had gone.

_This is starting to get a little crazy,_ he reminded himself. _You don't have to know where she is every second of the day. You're not that kind of creepy boyfriend. She's with the girls, she's safe, you would know if she wasn't._

Except, he had woken to her screaming his name...

A _left over from the nightmare. She called you Endymion, not Mamo-chan. It was just part of the dream._

Mamoru turned back onto the main roads again, heading at a slightly more sedated pace across the city to his own apartment. Still wrapped up in his worries over Usagi, it took him nearly a city block to realize something strange. He paused at a crosswalk, and looked around.

Every light on one side of the street stood dark.

He slowly looked down the street, and his eyebrows began to raise. The darkness went on for several blocks. Nearly a kilometer away, he saw the faint glow of more lights.

"That's odd."

The bike continued much slower, as Mamoru looked about for any sign of life. It finally struck him how silent the city seemed. He heard nothing, not even the faint voices from televisions, or the motor of a taxi, or the bark of a dog. Someone, somewhere, should have been awake, doing something.

Several blocks into the strange electrical blackout, the darkness crossed the street. The sidewalk on either side of Mamoru stood without a single lamp on. Carefully, he, too, changed sides. He parked the bike and dismounted.

Clouds scuttled across the moon, and no silver rays reached the park where Mamoru found himself. He stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, hesitating to enter the dark. His eyes began to grow accustomed to the night, and he saw something to still his heart.

Standing with her back to him, hair spilling from two buns on top of her head, a girl in a long dress embraced a slightly taller, masculine figure. He could not see them clearly, but with their shadowed faces so close, he could guess what they did together. A small hand with delicate fingers rose to stroke the strange man's face.

"Usako!"

The anguished cry came from his mouth before he could stop himself. The small figure of the girl stiffened, then stepped away from the man. Mamoru watched as the man fell to a boneless heap on the grass. The girl turned to him, still nothing more than a shadow.

"Usako, what are you doing?" Mamoru called, running several steps closer. The shadowed girl watched for a moment, then began walking slowly to meet him. Her languorous, unhurried movements made him stop. Something was not right. The small figure came into clearer focus, and he reversed his direction quickly.

The girl coming ever closer to him looked like a photographic negative of Usagi at her most beautiful. Black eyes regarded him coldly, instead of warm blue.

"Who are you?" he demanded softly. "_What _are you?"

She did not answer. Filled with dread, Mamoru looked to the man laying on the ground. He did not move, and Mamoru felt certain he did not breathe.

"What did you do to him?" Mamoru shouted. "What are you?!?"

The black Usagi-like girl reached out her hands in an almost pleading gesture, and his heart softened just a bit. For half a heartbeat, the young face looked at him with terrible longing. The flash of claws from Its fingers brought a swift return to his abhorrence.

"Get back!" he shouted. He took another step away, preparing to transform into the more useful guise of Tuxedo Mask. Before he could, It lunged.

"No!"

Something, or someone, shot from the shadows of the trees. A body crashed into Mamoru's, and they rolled across the grass. The Creature landed and spun towards them, black eyes watching them in eerie silence.

"Prince! Kunzite!"

Two more figures rushed from the shadows. The Creature turned in time to block a kick from one man, but stumbled under a blow from the other. Both golden haired Shitennou surged towards It with shouts of rage.

Their deceptively tiny enemy leapt nearly three meters into the air, straight over their heads. Jadeite and Zoisite crashed to the ground with muffled grunts. It turned to face them, and opened Its jaws.

All four men cried out as It drew a deep breath. The heat of their rage and fear began to ebb from them. Frost seemed to creep up into their hearts, and they gasped for air with lungs that refused to fill.

"N...n...no!" Jadeite managed. "K...Kunzite! Get... the Prince... away!"

Jadeite and Zoisite, closer to the monster than the others, fell to their knees. Their hands went to their throats as they struggled for oxygen. Mamoru felt hands pulling at him, and heard a voice he never expected to hear again.

"Run! My lord... go!"

Old hatred for Beryl's henchmen fell before ancient loyalty and friendship. He struggled to his feet, but instead of running, he took a staggering step towards the Creature. His knees shook, but he moved again closer. Kunzite seized his ankle in a desperate last attempt to stop him.

"Leave them! Wh... what do you want?!?"

The face he loved most, contorted with darkness and a fearfully gaping mouth, turned to stare at him without feeling. From between the sweet lips lolled a black tongue. It stretched, impossibly long, towards him.

"My lord!" Kunzite shouted brokenly. "Flee!"

Mamoru stared defiantly at the beast as It stepped closer. He stopped struggling to breathe, determined to face It with dignity. It advanced, that terrible tongue moving closer to his face.

The clouds broke, and silver moonlight cascaded into the darkened park. The tongue retracted instantly, and the Creature cowered under the glow. Cool, sweet oxygen rushed back into the lungs of the four men as It retreated into the shadows of the trees.

"Jadeite! Zoisite!" Mamoru croaked. "Come further into the light!"

They scrambled to obey, joining Kunzite in a protective ring about their Prince. The Creature looked up at the moon again, then back at them. Licking Its lips once with Its terrible tongue, It turned and vanished into the night.

"What... in all the rings... of hell... was that?!?" Jadeite demanded, still gasping for breath.

Mamoru shook his head silently, massaging his own sore throat. He turned to the men he once regarded as his closest companions and confidantes, a million questions on his lips. The first one he asked surprised even him.

"What happened to your face?"

Jadeite scowled, while the other two let out ragged, coughing laughs. Kunzite took it upon himself to answer, patting his friend's shoulder in sympathy.

"Nephrite's 'Emerald Thunder Goddess' took exception to him," he explained.

Mamoru grinned wryly with memory. "I can't believe he calls her that. What did you do?"

"I had the audacity to be alive," Jadeite growled.

This brought Mamoru's mind back to the present. "How is it you _are _alive? All of you?"

"An excellent question," Zoisite said. "Unfortunately, we don't know."

Mamoru looked uncertainly at the trio. They had just risked their own lives to protect his. They even offered to die so he could make his escape. And yet, they had last met as enemies, something he could not forget.

"How can I trust you?"

Kunzite's smirk melted away. He sank to one knee, taking his master's hand in a ageless sign of fealty. Jadeite and Zoisite both followed him to the ground, head's bowed.

"We are yours to command," his once dearest friend swore. "If you find us unworthy of your trust, we will end our lives, so you may live without fear of us."

"Give me proof," Mamoru told them sharply. "Why should I believe that you are no longer evil?"

Zoisite raised his head first, a tortured expression in his green eyes. "Don't you know us, my lord? Don't you remember us?"

"I remember you under Beryl's command."

"But that wasn't us!" he cried. "Metalia poisoned our minds, brainwashed us against you!"

"We should have fought her harder," Jadeite interrupted, his voice harsh. "We should have died before we turned against our lord. We failed, Zoisite. Be silent, and let our lord decide what is to be done."

Quiet fell over the men, the three humbled before their master, willing to take whatever judgment he chose to pass over them. Mamoru considered, studying their bent heads, the sincere regret on their faces. How could they prove themselves?

"I cannot trust you," he announced at last. "Not only did you hurt the innocent, you threatened the lives of the Senshi, whom you swore to love, and my Princess. I will not let them be harmed by you again."

"What would you have us do?" Kunzite asked, face lowered to the ground.

Mamoru turned a steely countenance on them. "I would have you protect those you once loved from yourselves. Forever."

All three raised their faces to him. Instead of rage, or fear, or even sorrow, they all looked strangely resigned. Kunzite actually smiled.

"We can do that for you, my Prince."

From their belts, they drew their long daggers. Each lifted it in hands unshaken by fear, and rested them against their chests. They took a long, single breath together. Their arms tensed, and their eyes filled with purpose.

"STOP!"

Mamoru's voice rang out with the cool authority of Endymion. All three Shitennou froze, daggers just piercing the flesh of their chests through their uniforms. They regarded him with surprise as he reached over and pulled Kunzite's hand down. Holding his wrist firmly in strong fingers, the Prince of Earth stared across the blood stained blade into the platinum eyes of his friend. He smiled.

"So, you have returned to me at long last."


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I own no part of the Sailor Moon universe._

_AN: Sorry for the lack of action, but this is a bit of an exposition chapter, where the girls do a lot of talking. I also apologize for not giving every character the attention they deserve, but there eight Senshi, four Shitennou, one Princess, one Prince, the Enemy, and a scattering of supporting characters! I'll start working on each personally in the next few chapters._

Putting a worried hand on her friend's pale, clammy brow, Minako watched Usagi's lashes flutter fitfully. The other girl moaned in her sleep, and turned her head away. After another sigh, she grew quiet again.

"How is she?" Haruka asked, leaning over the back of the couch, her face concerned.

"Still unconscious," Minako muttered. "We should leave her alone for the moment."

"Well, at least _one_ of us is getting some sleep. It figures Usagi would be the one. Brat."

Rei's grumblings would have been more convincing if she hadn't at that moment gently placed a cool, damp rag on Usagi's forehead. She brushed the pale blonde bangs back, a look of deep concern in her purple eyes. Sighing, she took her friend's hand in her own and squeezed it.

Everyone had woken to a startled gasp from Usagi. She had jerked into a sitting position as though someone pulled her up by invisible wires, her eyes wide with terror, her lips silently crying out a single word. She stayed like that for a heartbeat, quivering with some unspeakable tension. Then, with a soft sigh, she collapsed into a dead faint.

The murmuring voices of Ami and Setsuna drew everyone's eyes away from their wilted Princess. The two stood close together, first one shaking her head, and then the other. After a moment of whispers and gestures, they seemed to come to some sort of agreement. Nodding, they turned to the others.

"What?" Minako asked. "What's the matter?"

Setsuna returned to the center of the room, lowering herself gracefully to sit on the floor at the book laden table. "Something very strange happened while you were all asleep, right before Usagi woke up."

"Stranger than Usagi having some sort of fit?" Rei demanded.

"The two might be connected," Ami said, moving to kneel beside Setsuna. "You see, just before Usagi sat up, the room suddenly felt a lot colder. I could see my breath for a moment. You didn't notice, because you were all asleep, but Setsuna and I felt odd."

"Like something cut into our souls, and bled all our strength out," the Timekeeper added softly. "Only there was nothing in the room."

"Then Usagi sat up, and the room got hot for a second. And then she fainted," Ami finished.

"Maybe she had a dream again," Rei guessed, looking down at the pale, drawn face.

Michiru shook her head slowly. "That wouldn't explain the cold, or Setsuna and Ami loosing their strength. Something _must _have been here."

"An invisible enemy?" Minako asked with alarm.

"No," Setsuna interrupted her. "Nothing came into the room. How could it? Even the window is closed."

They all turned to look at the window, reassuring themselves of Setsuna's words. Suddenly, Ami rose, and walked slowly across the room, a little, puzzled frown on her face. She moved to the window, staring at the glass intently.

"What is it?" Minako asked with concern.

Ami touched the glass, then tapped it twice with her fingernails, as though proving to herself it's solidity. She checked around the seams, probing them gently, then stroked the wood. Everyone exchanged baffled looks as she nodded to herself.

"Ami?" Makoto asked slowly. "What are you doing?"

The petite genius spun around, pinning them all with a look. "It has been very hot and humid this summer," she reminded them unnecessarily. "How many of you slept with your windows open last night?"

One by one, hands went up. Hotaru paused with her arm halfway up, then lowered it slightly.

"I did to begin with, but I closed it when..." She shrugged guiltily.

"But by then the damage had been done," Ami murmured. "Most of Tokyo had their windows open last night. I'll bet anyone who's windows were closed slept just fine."

Haruka stood up and joined Ami, leaning her hands on the sill. To the surprise of her friends, she pressed her ear against the glass, eyes screwed up in concentration. She appeared to be listening. Then her eyes opened, and she nodded at the others.

"She's right. With our windows open, the wind could get into our rooms while we slept last night."

"The wind?" Michiru echoed with surprise.

"I can hear it. I didn't notice last night, I was too distracted, but now... It's whispering. I can't make out the words through the glass, but I know its intent. It means harm, terrible harm, to anything it touches." She glared out the window at the wind shaking the leaves of the trees. "Whatever this enemy is, it's poisoning the very air."

"How long is this heat wave supposed to last?" Minako asked. "If we could get people to keep their windows closed-"

Ami sadly shook her head. "People would still go out at night. You can't escape the wind."

"What is powerful enough to effect an entire city with nothing but whispers?" Haruka asked softly.

"Something horrible."

All eight girls gave a glad cry to hear Usagi's voice. She looked at them all weakly, the hand not clutching Rei's against her forehead. Her lips pressed together so tightly they became white.

"Usagi! Are you all right?" Minako cried.

"You saw it?" Ami added. "What was it?"

"Sick."

"Something sick?" Hotaru repeated blankly.

"No," Usagi groaned. "I'm gonna be sick!"

"Oh!"

Her Senshi sprang into action. Minako and Rei helped her roll to the edge of the couch, while Haruka fetched the nearest wastebasket. Michiru seized her long blonde pigtails, holding them safely out of the way as she purged her stomach of all it's contents. Hotaru gently wiped her lips with the damp rag, while Makoto disappeared into the kitchen. After a moment, she returned with a glass of water, with a straw for easy drinking. Setsuna took the basket away, her own face a light green color. Ami hovered anxiously behind the couch, both cats on her shoulders.

"Do you need anything else, Usagi?" she asked gently.

"Yes. Mamo-chan!"

The others laughed a little, rolling their eyes at one another. Usagi, however, looked simply miserable, so they chose more sober expressions. She groaned and covered her eyes.

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Ami asked, disappointed. "We think we were attacked in some way. But the enemy retreated when you sat up all of a sudden."

"I just woke up now."

"No, you also woke up earlier, and then you fainted," Minako corrected her. "You scared us."

Usagi's brow wrinkled as she strove to remember. "Are you sure I woke up?"

"Yes!" they chorused impatiently.

"Don't yell at me!" she moaned. "I don't feel good!"

"We're sorry, kitten," Haruka said. "But are you sure you didn't see anything? Did you dream anything?"

"Dream?" Usagi whispered, her eyes suddenly far away. "I dreamed... I dreamed the same dream again! That place... that awful place, in a darkness so deep that no light can escape it! I tried to fight it, but I felt it eating all my strength. The more I struggled, the weaker I got." She closed her eyes, hiding her face behind one hand. "And it kept whispering to me."

Eyebrows raised, Haruka knelt at Usagi's side. "It whispered to you? What did it say?"

"Terrible things," she said. "Terrible, horrible, wicked thoughts and suspicions. It's like every scrap of evil got sucked into one inescapable whirlpool, and mixed together until it became something worse than evil."

A collective sigh of despair escaped eight pairs of lips. They looked to one another for any comfort, but all their eyes held a shared fear for something worse than they ever imagined. They bowed their heads or turned away, unable to bare this mutual hopelessness.

As though reading their thoughts, Usagi managed to pull herself upright, and regarded them all with an almost angry expression. "Don't you give up yet! Just because we don't know how to fight it _right now_ doesn't mean we can't learn! In every battle we've been in, we never knew right away how to defeat our enemy. But we have never once failed to win! So no more long faces, you guys!" Her face dropped into a more gentle countenance. "I can't do this without you!"

Minako seized the hand not held by Rei. "You're right! We have never been beaten, so long as we stood together! We just need to remember that we have each other."

"And no going off alone, or keeping secrets!" Makoto added with a meaningful look at the four Outer Senshi. "This time we stick together!"

"Agreed," Michiru said. "Our best chance is to stay close to the Princess. We can keep her safe that way, and she seems to be able to fight this thing, somehow."

"You really don't remember anything, Usagi?" Makoto asked. "You looked straight ahead of you, right out the window."

"The window again!" Rei muttered, glaring at it. "Pull the curtains, Ami."

"Wait!" Ami ran back to the window and looked out. "What if that's where the enemy was?"

"But Ami, we're several stories up!" Makoto reminded her.

"So? Way too many of our enemies can fly," Minako said. "I guess this one can, too."

"It makes sense," Michiru murmured.

"I have a question," Hotaru announced suddenly. "Usagi has been dreaming of a _place,_ right? Not a single entity."

"So..." Ami bit her lip, thinking, "what Usagi has been dreaming of is not the enemy, but...but maybe Its home!"

"Something came _out _of the Abyss?" Usagi gasped. She paused to think this over, then shrugged. "Well, can you blame It?"

"Yes!" Haruka snapped. "It brought part of that evil with It, without even thinking of the consequences to Earth!"

"It probably didn't even care," Usagi said. "After seeing that place, I'll bet It's willing to do anything to escape."

"Including ripping a portal into our world, leaking some of this Abyss into our reality, and changing everything around It by Its very presence," Rei muttered.

"We know why It's here, then," Setsuna took over. "And we know that It will not willingly go back. Now we need to figure out what It wants with souls, how to find It, and how to fight It."

"The best way to learn how to fight It is to fight It!" Haruka said.

"We can't just go out and chase down an enemy we couldn't even recognize!" Michiru argued. "Especially when It only comes out at night, when the Abyss is whispering terrible things to drive us all mad!"

"We need to learn more about It!" Luna added.

"How?" Haruka demanded. "How can we protect the world, even the city, if we just hide here and try to study something we've never even seen?"

"We won't do the world any good if we get ourselves killed uselessly!" Minako told her. "Calm down!"

The two faced off, both fuming with frustration and unspoken fears. Usagi moved to interrupt, when the lock clicked, and the door to the apartment opened. Everyone turned to look, and jaws dropped.


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I own no part of the Sailor Moon universe._

Sitting at her window, Osaka Naru listened to the wind in the trees and stared down at the picture in her hands. Her own smiling face peered back, as did a laughing young man. He was not a handsome boy, not nearly so beautiful as the man sleeping on her floor. But he was so very good to her.

"Oh, Umino," Naru sighed. "What do I do?"

The shock of seeing Nephrite in the park, alive, had nearly sent her into a faint. She found it hard to breathe properly for several minutes, while he simply stood there and looked at her sadly. When she could find her voice, she didn't know what to say.

"Nephrite! Is it really you?"

"I...I think so."

Unable to even truly understand her feelings, she leapt up from the bench and threw her arms around her first love. He trembled in her embrace, and took a long time to respond. At last, she felt him return her hug with weak arms.

"Where have you been?" Naru cried into his shoulder. "I thought you were dead!"

"I was," he whispered. "I think I was. I can't remember anything." He stepped back to look down into her face. "I need to find the others."

"The others?"

"Kunzite, Jadeite, Zoisite, and..." Nephrite paused, his face confused. "The Prince. We need to find the Prince. We protect him. Don't we?"

Naru raised a concerned hand to his cheek. He did not feel feverish, but the lost look in his eyes worried her enough that she forgot to wonder at his miraculous return. When he tried to move away, she held his arm, gently but firmly.

"I have to go," he said, trying to shake her off. "I have to find the Prince. I promised him. And I promised someone else, too."

"There is no Prince, Nephrite," Naru told him slowly. "You're a little confused is all. Now come on, and I'll get you something to drink. How about cocoa?"

"I promised to return." He did not appear to have heard her. "I promised... Who did I promise?"

Naru pulled on his arm. "Come on, Nephrite. You aren't feeling well."

After another moment of resistance, he gave in and let her lead him away. She took him home, knowing her parents were gone for most the day. She fed him soup and bread, which seemed to revive him somewhat. He stopped babbling about Princes and promises, at any rate. He refused to tell her where he had been, pretending ignorance, but she was not sure she believed him.

The sound of the door opening to her parents' return sent her scrambling upstairs, towing a surprised Nephrite. With no other ideas, she hid him in her room. Her parents only looked in briefly to make certain she was home and safe, then left her alone.

He had fallen asleep over an hour ago, and Naru stared down into his handsome face for much of that time. She brushed some of that long, dark hair away from his face, and leaned down to lightly kiss his lips. Then she remembered.

Gurio Umino.

Her boyfriend.

He smiled up at her from their picture in that way that usually warmed her heart. Now, she only felt confused.

_I think I love Umino,_ Naru thought, staring down at his face. _But I know I loved Nephrite first. What should I do?_

"Mmm."

She dropped the picture onto the window sill, and hurried to Nephrite's side. He groaned again, then opened his eyes. He started once at seeing her leaning over him.

"It's alright!" she whispered gently. "It's me, Naru."

"Naru-chan," he murmured back. His eyes strayed past her to the window. "Where is Jupiter?"

She looked out as well at the night sky. "Um, I don't know. I'm not very good at astronomy. I think you might need a telescope to see it."

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "What are you talking about?"

"The planet Jupiter."

"Oh, right. You don't know her."

"Someone named their child Jupiter?" Naru asked, aghast. "How cruel can parents be?"

"No, she's... Never mind." He levered himself off the floor. "I have to go."

"No!" She tried to push him back down. "You need to stay here and rest! You're not well!"

Nephrite touched her cheek gently. She felt herself blush slightly, and he smiled. "You are one of the kindest people I have ever met, Naru. You are so dear to me. So please try to understand that I have to go."

"But why?" she wailed. "I don't want to loose you again!"

"You won't."

She clutched his hand desperately. "Promise me you'll come back to me!"

Her words seem to strike him like a blow. He looked away from her, his eyes becoming distant once again. "I can't promise you that."

"Why not?"

"Because I promised someone that once," he remembered. "But I lied."

Naru watched in helpless silence as he moved to the window. Just as he prepared to leap down, Nephrite stopped, and lifted the picture. He looked at it for a long moment, then held it out to her.

"Besides, am I really the one you want?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she shook her head. "I don't know! All I know is that when you died, I felt like a part of me died! Now that you're back, that part of me has come back to life, too! The world is right again!"

"But don't you understand, Naru? The world is all wrong! I shouldn't be here!"

"Yes, you should!" She jumped to her feet, and threw her arms around him again. "Oh, don't go, Nephrite! Please, stay with me!"

"I can't. I have a duty," he said, "a duty that I failed in the past, and betrayed. You don't understand what I have done! I hope you never understand all the sins I've committed. But I have to fulfill this promise to my Prince."

"What Prince?" Naru almost shouted. "What are you talking about?!?"

Shaking his head, he took both her hands, and folded them around the picture. "All you need to know is this; I care for you, and I would do anything to keep you safe. So let me do my duty, and I will return to you if I can."

"Don't go," Naru whispered. "Please! I couldn't bare it if you died again."

"I will try my best not to die again." Nephrite looked at her hard for a moment, then asked in a soft voice, "The boy in the picture?"

Naru opened her hands to look into Umino's smiling face. "_Hai?_"

"Does he love you?"

"_Hai_."

"Then he would understand why I do what I'm about to do."

Before Naru could ask for his meaning, he swooped down on her, catching her up in both arms. She gave no protest as his lips descended on hers. He kissed her for a long, wonderful, terrible moment, until she moaned with longing and despair. Then he let her go, and backed to the window. With one last look, he leapt out and left her standing there in tears.

Swallowing hard, Naru looked down at the picture still in her hands. It had been crushed in Nephrite's feverish embrace. Fresh tears came, and she gasped with horror.

Between herself and Nephrite, they had ripped Umino in two.


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I own no part of the Sailor Moon universe._

_AN: This one is for Starfighter626. Thanks for all your wonderful encouragment! We finally get to see the Shitennou and Senshi interact._

Luna had never seen the girls move so fast. The moment Kunzite stepped through the door, Makoto seized up the nearest book and flung it as hard as she could. He ducked, and the spine cracked against the bridge of Jadeite's nose. He fell backwards with a muffled groan, taking Zoisite down with him.

Meanwhile, the Senshi closed ranks around their startled Princess. Minako, Haruka, Makoto, and Setsuna stood in a solid wall before the couch, with Hotaru, Rei, Michiru, and Ami just behind them. Artemis sprang up beside Luna for cover.

The first attack caused Kunzite to step back, tripping over his fallen companions. He managed to keep his feet, and half closed the door so he had some form of cover. He yelled around it.

"Are you insane?!?"

"I told you she was!" they heard Jadeite's pained voice shout.

"Mako-chan isn't the only one you have to worry about now!" Minako yelled. "Senshi, transform!"

With the exception of Usagi, who still looked confused, every girl brought forth her wand.

"VENUS-"

"MERCURY-"

"MARS-"

"JUPITER-"

"SATURN-"

"URANUS-"

"NEPTUNE-

"PLUTO-"

"STAR POWER!"

A dazzling rainbow of light encompassed the room. Luna watched with the same wonder she felt every time the soldiers transformed. The young women disappeared into the beautiful glow. Eight soldiers emerged, ready for battle.

"VENUS LOVE ME CH-"

"NOT IN MY APARTMENT!"

The words froze in Minako's mouth.

Mamoru pushed past Kunzite, stepping into the room with a placating gesture. "All of you, put your wands away! They aren't our enemies!"

"Since when?!?" Rei demanded. No one moved to obey him, but no one moved to attack.

"Since they saved my life!"

"How do we know this isn't some kind of trick?" Makoto asked suspiciously. "Why should we believe anything they say?"

"Jupiter, please calm down and listen!" Kunzite pleaded. "We remember all that we did while under Beryl's thrall, and we are sorrier than you could ever understand. But please, _please_ believe us! We have no wish to harm you!"

"I might!" Jadeite shouted.

"You shut up!" Rei yelled back.

"I love you, too."

Rei stiffened dangerously with rage. "Don't ever say that again! Whatever we might have been in our past lives, that time is dead! _You_ killed it!"

"Well, technically, Beryl killed it," Ami whispered.

"And Metalia," Zoisite added, climbing to his feet. The Senshi's collective glare made him wince. "Please don't hit me with a book."

"You helped kill it!" Minako clarified.

Kunzite looked at her with such pain that Luna felt pity towards the man she still saw as their enemy. He bowed his head to Minako, and admitted, "We know we have wronged you, my l-" he stopped sharply, then tried again. "Excuse me. Venus. We cannot make up to you all that you have lost.

"However, we, like yourselves, have a sworn duty. Now that we are free to act with no interference from the evil that twisted our minds, we have again pledged our lives to our Prince, a pledge he has accepted."

"Why would you do such a thing?" Luna demanded of Mamoru. "They are not to be trusted!"

"They have proven their loyalty," Mamoru explained. "If I ask for their lives, they have shown themselves ready to obey."

"How can you be sure?" Haruka asked, glaring darkly at all the men.

"Because when I did ask for their lives, they nearly gave them to me, without question or complaint," he said. "Now, please, everyone calm down. Where is Usako?"

"Behind everyone else!" Usagi called. "On the couch!"

Mamoru rushed into the room, and the Senshi reluctantly gave way before him. He collapsed to his knees beside Usagi, pulling her into his arms with a sigh of relief. Several faces softened, and Minako and Michiru even smiled as the lovers clung to each other in an outpour of tenderness.

"Oh, Mamo-chan, I missed you!"

"Usako, Usako."

A glance at the door showed Kunzite and Zoisite averting their eyes from the private moment, the silver eyed Shitennou smiling wistfully. No one interrupted the couple on the couch as they whispered sweetly to each other. Only when Mamoru leaned in to kiss her did Usagi pull away.

"No!"

"What's wrong?"

"I was sick!"

Mamoru grinned, and kissed her anyway. She did not protest again, instead putting her arms around his neck and holding him tightly. It took them some minutes to remember their audience.

"Oh, you're all still here," Usagi murmured, blushing. She turned to the door, and surprised everyone as she called, "Aren't you going to come in? You look silly just standing there."

Kunzite entered with a certain amount of trepidation, followed by Zoisite. After a moment, both turned back to look down at the floor just outside the door.

"Jadeite, are you going to come in?" Kunzite asked.

"I have bruises on my face and ribs, I have a big knot on the back of my neck, and my nose is bleeding. I don't want to get any closer to those lunatic women than I have to!"

"Well, you have to come in here," his leader ordered without mercy. "Come on, get up."

With help from his friends, and uncertain glares at the females, Jadeite limped into the room. The other two lowered him into the nearest chair, which he promptly scooted back nearly a meter until he reached a comfortable distance from Makoto, who received the most wary of looks. She returned them with her own glower.

"All right, now everyone relax and sit down," Mamoru ordered, gesturing to all those still standing. Exchanging looks, the Senshi knelt in a row before the couch, with two exceptions; Minako perched on one arm, and Haruka on the other. Zoisite and Kunzite sat on the floor in front of their wounded friend. Luna noted they carefully kept their hands where the nervous Senshi could see them.

_Perhaps they are sincere,_ Luna mused. _We could certainly use such powerful allies, but what effect will they have on the Senshi?_

So far, the only effect their former lovers seemed to have on the Inner Senshi was suspicion and nervousness. No one looked at all relaxed as they stared across the low table at each other.

Ami broke the silence first. "Jadeite, would you like some ice for your nose?"

He looked at her in surprise, then smiled a little. "That would be nice."

She hurried off to retrieve the ice while Mamoru asked, "So, why are you all in my apartment?"

"Oh, Ami needed a book," Minako explained, not taking her eyes from the three Shitennou. "We have some kind of new enemy that arrived last night."

"It probably has something to do with all of you returning," Ami added, reappearing with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. "When It forced Its way into our world, It sent some kind of ripple through reality."

Jadeite winced as she applied the ice to the bridge of his nose, wiping some of the blood onto the towel. "Thank you, Mercury."

"You can call me Ami."

"Your name is Ami now?" Zoisite thought this over. "That's very pretty."

Luna noticed with worry that Ami blushed as she returned to her seat. She shyly refused to meet Zoisite's gaze, instead looking steadily at the table.

"So, how did you save Mamoru's life?" Makoto asked.

Mamoru answered. "We met the enemy. They fought It for me."

"You met the enemy?!?" Minako gasped. "Ami, get your computer! Tell us everything."

Instead, Kunzite looked at her strangely and asked, "What is your name?"

"_My_ name?"

"Yes."

"Minako."

He smiled. "That is a pretty name, too."

Minako unconsciously smiled back.

Luna fervently prayed that history would not repeat itself.


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

_AN: Thanks, Stormy soul! This one's for you!_

The man walked slowly, looking around with a dazed expression on his face. The light of his bronze soul flickered from brilliant with purpose to dim with despair as his emotions swirled. He did not look nearly as strong as those It had already faced tonight. His soul might be just warm enough…

But deep violet light stained the very edges of the horizon, a herald of warning to the Creature. The purple would soon turn to red, then pink and gold. The sun was coming.

It abandoned thoughts of taking this man, and walked unhurriedly along the gray path, this thing the humans called "sidewalk." Sidewalk led It back to the sanctuary of the alley. There It could hide, waiting with infinite patience learned through eons of existence. The light would dim, and the darkness would return, and It would walk free once again.

At the mouth of the alley, It paused with almost as much fear as the humans. It could hear the Abyss through the hole It left in Its escape. The whispers sounded louder than the night before. The Creature had not been the only one to feed that night. Something had passed through the flimsy barrier, weakening it further.

The Abyss was pushing its way into this world.

Cowering before the portal into Its former prison, the Creature wondered briefly what would happen if the barrier failed all together. What would happen to this place, this Earth, with all its beautiful glowing life? Would this world become yet another victim of the horror residing just behind that swirling, whispering door?

What would It do if that happened?

_Escape. Always escape._

Nothing, no power in this universe or the next, could force It back into that realm of unending night. Nothing could be worth returning to Its never ending existence of nothingness. Even the punishing fire of the sun was preferable to the Abyss.

Still, the shield between the two universes held. Only something as strong as the Creature could hope to approach the portal without being devoured. But for at least one more day, this alley remained safe.

When the night came again, It would find a new place to hide, both from the light, and the dark.


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

"How dare he say he loves me? He tried to kill me, and most of Tokyo, and he _betrayed_ me, and he betrayed Endymion, and he served Beryl! Oh, I could just kill him! Why are we trusting them?!?"

Haruka winced as Rei's voice rose quickly in octaves. The younger girl made it very clear just how much she resented the unexpected return of the Shitennou, and had been doing so for most of the walk from Mamoru's apartment. While she agreed with the enraged priestess, the almost shrieking nature of Rei's complaints were beginning to grate against her nerves.

"You are so lucky, Haruka!"

Jerking her head around, the Outer Senshi regarded the Inner with surprise. "_Nani?_"

"You have Michiru, who loved you and remembered you even after death," Rei said in a pouting voice. "You two are the perfect couple. You're partners and best friends and soul mates, all wrapped into one."

Haruka frowned, looking away. She had not spoken more than a handful of words to her partner since the night when Michiru coldly pushed her away. She now understood that her lover's actions were not her own, but it was hard to forget her own pain.

"Usagi, too. Her Prince died to defend her, and came back searching for her. But look at us! Our men died to destroy what we loved, and returned to us only to try it all again!" Her purple eyes blazed with rage. "I will never forgive him!"

Putting her arm around Rei's shoulders, Haruka gave her a sisterly squeeze. "Come on, cheer up. Maybe this new enemy will eat them for us."

Rei laughed, though without much humor. "We couldn't be so lucky."

Silently, Haruka agreed. The past few days had proven their luck to be getting steadily worse. She wondered what new surprises this enemy had in store for them.

"Haruka?" Rei suddenly seemed very thoughtful. "What do you think It is?"

"Evil," Haruka responded simply.

Rei sighed. "I guess. It's just… after everything Usagi has told us about that _place_ It escaped from, it makes me wonder what _I_ would do to get free."

"Maybe It had a good reason to escape, but It shouldn't have brought that evil into _our_ world! And think about what Mamoru said It did to that man!"

"I know. I guess I just hate the thought of a place so-"

Her words stopped sharply, as did her feet. Haruka also froze, hearing exactly what Rei felt.

"It's near," Rei whispered.

The wind hissed past Haruka's ears with foul murmurs. It snarled and sneered, leading her several steps further down the road. The source of this horror waited close, so close.

"There."

Haruka pointed before she realized her arm was moving. Both she and Rei followed her indicating finger to the mouth of an alley. They did not need to speak, moving carefully together towards the sounds and icy feeling of evil.

At the corner of one building, Haruka paused, holding out an arm to keep Rei back. The younger girl abided, choosing instead to stand on tiptoe and peer worriedly over her companion's shoulder. The pair kept the building mostly between themselves and the danger as they leaned around to peer into the alley. Their eyes widened as they saw…

"Nothing!"

Haruka's shoulders slumped in confusion. She heard the terrible voices clearer than ever, calling to her, hissing at her, but she saw no source for them. Baffled, she turned to Rei, who shook her head.

"I don't see anything, either, but it has to be there! I can _feel_ it!"

"I know, but there's nothing- THERE!"

Something moved in the unnaturally deep shadows, recoiling from the shout. The briefest glimpse of long black hair fueled Haruka in her lunge. She flew forward, despite Rei's shout of, "NO!" directly into the dark.

Suddenly, she found her feet no longer touching the ground. A crushing giant's hand swept her up, squeezing her with merciless force until the air exploded from her lungs. Her bones made a terrible cracking noise. Against her will she rushed headfirst towards the whispers, hearing them change to triumphant laughter. Her skull contracted, her eyes felt ready to burst, her heart froze with the impossible cold. Her vision darkened until all she saw was Michiru's sea bright eyes.

_I'm so sorry, love._

"AKU RYO TAI SAN!!"

Haruka felt herself floating, no, falling. The release from pressure felt so wonderful she did not even notice her forehead connecting with the asphalt. She lay still, enjoying the freedom of her body as it sprawled weakly on the floor of the alley.

"HARUKA!"

Blessedly warm hands pulled at her as a sweet, worried voice called her name. She had no strength to move, and so quietly submitted when those warm fingers caught her under her arms and began to pull. The gravel scraped at her skin, a welcome stinging next to the crushing force. Heat flickered over her arms, her face, her neck, her body, and at last her legs as she was dragged to safety.

"Haruka! Open your eyes! Please, Haruka! At least _breathe!_"

_Oh, yes. I forgot._

Her lips opened listlessly, and she tried to work her lungs. It took to much effort, though, so she stopped.

"Haruka, please! Oh, Michiru, don't hate me!"

_MICHIRU!_

Haruka's eyes flew open just as a pair of lips touched hers. Before she knew what Rei meant to do, she felt air forced into her lungs. In response, she exploded into a hacking cough.

"Are you alright?" Rei demanded. "Oh, I thought you were dead!"

Haruka lay back on the pavement, taking in big, whooping breaths. She tried to swallow, and found herself coughing so hard her back arched off the ground. Rei put two restraining hands on her shoulders until she finally gasped herself into silence.

"Never mind," Rei whispered. "Don't talk. I'll call the girls. We should be able to take a better look at it now, because I put a seal… Hey! It's gone!"

Struggling onto her elbows, Haruka turned to squint into the alley, following Rei's horrified look. Where a thin scrap of paper should have bound the evil, she saw nothing.

"I don't believe this!" Rei shrieked in righteous anger. "My seal!"

"C-" cough "calm d-down!" Haruka told her. "Just… call the other… girls."

The young priestess let out a low growl, but reached for her communicator. Just as her fingers touched it, they heard a low murmur of voices. Still somewhat hidden by the corner of the building, they flattened themselves close to the pavement and listened.

"…just can't believe it! With a razor?!?"

"Yeah. I talked to one of the police officers, and they said it was a hell of a mess. There was blood all over the bedroom, on the bed, the floor, the window…"

"Wow. What is this world coming to, that such a bright young woman would do that to herself? It makes me so sad!"

"I guess."

The door to one of the buildings opened, and a man and a woman hurried down the steps. They did not glance toward Haruka and Rei even once, just turned the opposite direction and went on their way. The two Sailor Soldiers exchanged a heavy look.

"The source of all this evil, right next to an apartment building!" Rei whispered in horror.

"We have to do something, and fast!" Haruka said hoarsely. "Call the others."

_A/N: Can you guess what it is? (giggle)_


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

"This is bad."

Nine Senshi, three Shitennou, two cats, and one usually elegantly attired superhero stood together, trying to appear as nonchalant as a group of thirteen people and two felines could look loitering in front of an empty alley minutes before sundown. Kunzite, Zoisite, and Jadeite had all borrowed clothing from Mamoru, lending them a somewhat less conspicuous appearance than their soot gray uniforms, even if not everything fit perfectly. But even Kunzite paused in his desperate attempts to adjust the too tight jeans, and Minako dragged her eyes away these proceedings, to give Ami their full attention.

"Bad, like, how bad?" Minako asked.

The genius, standing at the very edge of the alley, gave a sad shrug, gesturing with her computer. "_Very_ bad."

"Give us more to go on, Ami!" Makoto demanded sharply. "Is the world going to end? Is it going to eat us? Is something worse coming out of that thing?"

"I can't even figure out how that Creature got out of it in the first place! It shouldn't be possible!"

Zoisite leaned over her shoulder to study the screen. "You're right. If It got pulled in-"

"-It couldn't possibly have enough energy to break free!" Ami finished. "According to the laws of physics, this isn't possible!"

"And how come it hasn't done more damage? It should be ripping this building down!"

"Something is holding it back. But how?"

"Uh, guys?" Usagi interrupted. "Do you want to translate that?"

Ami looked to Zoisite, who looked back with an equally troubled gaze. Finally, the brilliant, blue haired girl said, "Well, I don't know how it's possible, but this portal is a black hole."

"_NANI?"_ Mamoru shouted in alarm.

"It can't be!" Setsuna added, snatching the computer from Ami's hands.

"That's not possible!" Michiru and Haruka chorused.

"Hey, don't yell at her!" Zoisite snapped.

"I know, but look!" Ami cried, pointing almost accusingly to the screen.

Slowly, Makoto raised her hand. "Does someone want to tell the non-geniuses what's going on?"

"What's a black hole?" Usagi asked innocently.

"The physics are kind of complicated," Ami said slowly, "but I'll try to explain.

"You all know how everything is made up of matter, right? And all matter has mass. Mass is kind of like weight, but not exactly the same thing. You see-"

"Ami, keep it simple," Minako reminded her plaintively.

"_Gomen._ Well, anything with mass exerts and reacts with gravity. The more massive a body is, the more gravity it exerts. Because the sun is more massive than the Earth, the Earth is caught in the sun's gravity. Do you see?"

"Uh-huh," Kunzite, Jadeite, Usagi, Rei, Minako, Makoto, and Hotaru chorused uncertainly.

"Now stars are very massive. As a star gets older, it grows. Our own sun will one day become so large that it will swallow several of its planets. Then, after it has reached a certain point and can get no bigger, the pull of its own gravity makes it begin to collapse. As this happens, the star- _Kyah!_"

Ami tumbled sideways, Zoisite landing on top of her in an ungraceful heap. Most heads followed their flight in surprise, but Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna spun to where the pair had stood a moment before. The gasps of all three turned their companions back to their enemy.

Black hair tumbling down Its black gown, the Creature stood just within the safe darkness of the alley. Those dark, bottomless eyes flashed from one to another. Fingers flexed, and claws flashed as It hesitated before the last dying rays of the sun. Its gaze found Ami and Zoisite. Snarling in sinister silence, It lunged.

Makoto flung herself at the beast, catching It surprised in midair. They fell to the pavement, the tall Senshi landing on top of the petite monster. Within a heartbeat, Makoto flew against her will into the wall of the nearest apartment building. Her head smashed into the bricks, and she slumped quietly to the ground.

"_INA_!"

Something tall and dark, someone fierce with rage, slammed into the Creature, strong hands going around Its slender throat. Without pause, Kunzite and Jadeite leapt into the fray, grappling with the frenzied fiend. Zoisite lurched to his feet to join them. Black satin whispered through the air as Tuxedo Mask moved impossibly fast to his Shitennou, a rose in his fingers.

"Senshi!" Luna shouted, jumping with Artemis onto Makoto's chest to provide what little protection they could. "Transform!"

Henshin wands fell into seven hands. A delicate finger went to touch a bejeweled broach. Eight voices rose to call on the power of their guardian planets.

"VENUS-"

"MERCURY-"

"MARS-"

"SATURN-"

"URANUS-"

"NEPTUNE-

"PLUTO-"

"CRYSTAL POWER!"

"MOON ETERNAL MAKEUP!"

Beautiful, pure light exploded from the Sailor Soldiers.

The Creature screamed, a terrible high shriek that drove the men away, hands over their ears. The sound rang through the street, a cry of unspeakable pain, and unbearable loss. It fell to Its knees, slashing Its claws uselessly at the pavement in Its rage.

The light faded, and the Scouts stared at It in shock. Though they now stood in infinitely more powerful forms than human bodies, they found themselves suddenly arrested by the terrible sound. Even Uranus could not make her voice work as the Creature lifted Its face to them, the face of one they all loved, streaked with misery and pain.

"Who are you?" Mercury whispered.

"SILENCE!"

The deep, resonating voice of the Creature startled them all, and actually drove the Senshi back a step. The black eyes blazed with hate, and It sprang to Its feet.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING! BE SILENT!"

"I will show you Silence!"

With a flash of silver, Saturn stepped forward and swung her glaive. The wicked blade split the air as it moved for the Creature's beautiful face. Fast, too fast for the eye to follow, It spun past the tiniest Sailor Soldier. Scarlet followed in Its wake, and Saturn gasped. Her weapon fell from useless fingers, her arm hanging limp at her side.

"Damn you!" Uranus shouted. "URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"

"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"

"PLUTO DEAD SCREAM."

All three attacks flew together at the monster, brilliant blue and gold and purple globes merging into one awesome force. The Creature leapt straight up, over the flashing lights. The threefold attack smashed into the apartment building, gouging a hole just above Makoto's head. Bricks exploded into the air.

"Oh, no!" Neptune cried. "Mako-chan!"

"Jupiter!"

Nephrite threw himself across Makoto, Luna, and Artemis. His arms covered the unconscious young girl's head instead of his own. Broken pieces of the building showered down, and he, too, fell limp.

"MERCURY SHINE AQUA ILLU-!"

The attack burst, unfinished, in midair. The force of the Creature's blow sent Mercury reeling to the pavement. It grasped her by the back of the neck, yanking her to her feet. Proving Its immense strength, It lifted her off the ground with one hand.

"BE SILENT!" It repeated in a voice suffused with rage, shaking Mercury viciously by the neck.

"Let her go!"

A single red rose pierced the Creature's hand. It snarled, dropping Its victim to the ground and hastening to back away. Moaning weakly in pain, Mercury tried once to raise her head. Then she fell, her forehead cradled on her arms, a soft sob sounding deep in her throat. It advanced on her again, only to leap back from the wild swing of a dagger.

"Demon!" Zoisite yelled, stationing himself in front of the fallen girl. "Leave her be!"

"Go back where you came from, monster!" Tuxedo Mask roared.

"NEVER!"

Claws carved through his left shoulder before anyone even saw It move. Much to the Creature's surprise, Tuxedo Mask did not fall back under the assault. He let It pass, then seized It from behind, his good arm locking across Its throat, bending Its head back at a painful angle. Kunzite caught Its wrists, holding Its claws away from his master.

The fiend was too strong. Kunzite soared backwards, hitting the pavement hard. It twisted Its arms impossibly back, grasping Tuxedo Mask by the throat. A fling sent him over Its head and down beside his friend.

"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"

The golden chain flared, encircling the Creature and binding Its arms to Its side. It struggled, flinching from the light, gnashing Its teeth in the air. Venus yanked her chain tight, the strain of holding It showing in her face.

"It's going to break free!"

"Hang on, Venus!" Jadeite shouted, leaping to help. His dagger appeared from under his sweatshirt. "Just hold it for a moment!"

It was a moment too long.

Hissing, Its jaws unhinged like a snake's. From deep within the cavern of Its mouth came the long, black whip of Its tongue. One strike shattered the chain. Power flashed back into Venus, knocking her off her feet.

As the others shouted and tried to catch her, It flung Itself into the safety of the dark alley. It swung Its head towards the enemy still coming, heedless of the danger. Writhing like a living thing, Its long black tongue lashed forward and caressed his face.

Jadeite crumbled.

"BITCH!" Mars screamed. "MARSFLAME SNIPER!"

Flames appeared, contorting into a bow. A single, golden-red arrow of blessed fire flew towards the monster's face. It dodged, spinning away. The missile flared, then twisted and vanished into the rip in reality.

Shrieks, laughter, roars filled the air. A sound more terrible than even the Creature's scream made the buildings tremble. The powerful beast cowered, fleeing from the voices of Its prison as they devoured Mars' flame, pushing against the barrier with stolen power. A single black wind, carrying the words of the Abyss, blast through the alley, wailing with evil up into the night.

"SILVER MOON CRYSTAL KISS!"

Light shot straight up into the sky. Faster than the foul wind, it slammed into the evil. Both exploded in a rain of black and silver, streaking back down towards the Earth. The shards flashed, then faded away.

"Good work," Tuxedo Mask said, holding his shoulder and breathing hard.

"Oh, Mamo-chan!" Sailor Moon flung herself onto her knees, her arms gathering him gently against her.

"I'm alright," he promised her.

She looked up, turning her head to all her friends. Kunzite lay beside them, gasping through his teeth in pain. Pluto sat on the ground, Saturn in her lap, trying to staunch the flow of blood from her arm. Shoving bricks aside, Uranus almost had Nephrite, Makoto, Luna, and Artemis uncovered. Mars knelt beside Jadeite, tenderly touching where the Creature's tongue struck him. A muffled groan drew Sailor Moon's eyes to Zoisite, supporting Mercury against his shoulder. Nearby, Neptune stood with her arms around Venus, holding her as she swayed, her eyes unfocused and cloudy.

"_Minna,_" Sailor Moon breathed.

"It's gone," Kunzite said suddenly. "That monster is gone."

Mars looked up from Jadeite's face, purple eyes frightened. "Good."

"Good!" Uranus repeated, shocked. "That thing is loose on Tokyo!"

"We couldn't defeat it!" Mars reminded her harshly. "What good will we do Tokyo if we are dead?"

The older Senshi fell silent, tossing the last of the debris off Nephrite's back. She bent to touch the side of his neck, and nodded once. "He's alive. So is Makoto."

"Princess," Zoisite spoke up. "Can't you…?"

One arm still around Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon raised the other to touch her broach again.

"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!"

A soft, silver glow surrounded them all. Mercury and Venus straightened with new strength. Nephrite stirred, raising his head to look around, then turning to meet Makoto's shocked gaze. Both cats leapt from their awkward embrace. Kunzite relaxed, sighed, then moved to his knees. Stretching, Saturn tested her arm, and smiled at the unmarred flesh. Tuxedo Mask sat up, returning his beloved's grip on him. Jadeite's head moved under Mars' hand, and his eyes opened briefly, only to close again.

"Jadeite!" Mars cried in alarm as the light faded. "Usagi! He's still unconscious!"

Kunzite swiftly moved to her side, touching his friend's shoulder. "He's ice cold. We need to get him somewhere safe."

"Back to my apartment," Tuxedo Mask ordered. "Kunzite, Zoisite, can you carry him?"

Zoisite only paused to make sure Mercury could stand alone, then rose to obey. Her eyes lingered on him for a long moment as she climbed to her feet, her gaze thoughtful.

"What about that thing?" Sailor Moon asked, helping Tuxedo Mask to his feet.

"Tomorrow night, we'll try again."

_A/N: For those of you who actually _want_ a full explanation of what a black hole really is, check out Isaac Assimov's _Collapsing Universe. _It was my main source of information for this story._

_Also, I apologize for using _Star Power_ instead of_ Crystal Power _in an earlier chapter. Oops._

_One last thing. My Japanese is shakey, but I'm ninety-nine percent certain Ina, which Nephrite yells when Makoto is struck, means "No!"_


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

_A/N: This one is dedicated with lots and lots of thanks to Rikou Kyohaku! Domo Arigatou! Everyone check out Nightmares of the King, and write a review!_

"Anything with mass exerts and reacts with gravity."

The Creature hissed, slashing Its claws through empty air. That fool of a human thought herself so wise. She spoke as though she knew everything.

She knew nothing!

"The more massive a body is, the more gravity it exerts."

If only it were that simple.

_Heat from the cold. Light from the darkness. Beauty from nothing._

No human could ever understand.

_The tiny flecks dancing…So beautiful! Their play gave her such joy!_

How could anyone know what It had suffered?

_Swirling around and around, drawn together by Her embrace, colliding, condensing…_

How could anyone know?

_Growing…_

How could anyone understand?

_So beautiful against the dark…_

How could anyone see?

_She was not alone anymore._

Movement. Light. A soul.

It turned, black eyes narrowing on the human. A woman, young, sitting on a seat suspended by two chains, all alone. Her gentle glow flickered, the soft blue dim, some kind of moisture on her face. Her feet dangled just above the surface of the Earth.

The Creature moved without concern. This one was not powerful, like those from earlier. This one would not fight back, or run away.

The woman looked up, eyes wide in the night. The Creature stopped just in front of her, shrouded enough in the shadows to appear human. It tipped Its deceptively sweet head, long locks tumbling, and regarded the human with curiosity.

"What is that?"

"What is what?"

"That moisture on your face."

"Tears."

"Tears? What is their purpose?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are they there?"

"I was crying."

"Why do you cry?"

"I'm sad."

"Why are you sad?"

"I am alone."

The Creature bowed Its head. "That _is_ sad. But there are so many humans here. Why are you alone?"

The human lowered her head as well. Fresh moisture, fresh tears, fell. "He left."

_The emptiness is deeper when once it was filled._

It walked to the woman, and held out Its hand. She paused, then took it in her own. It pulled her from the swinging seat, and drew her into Its cold embrace. A shudder worked through her body, her face wet against Its shoulder.

Strong fingers held her face, tipping it back until her soft blue human eyes met cold, black, monstrous eyes. A tiny gasp of shock was all she managed. The Creature locked Its lips over hers, and drew in a long, deep breath.

_The darkness is thicker when once there was light._

Loosely, It clasped the empty shell of a human, licking Its lips with Its long, terrible tongue. The human's warmth danced inside It, sweet and beautiful. All too soon, the glow faded, and It was alone again.

_The loneliness is more terrible when once there was love._

It let the body fall. Eyes as black as the Creature's stared from the human's face up into the night sky. The shell looked smaller without a soul, sunken, crushed from within. It was nothing without light, without warmth.

The Creature turned and walked away. Even as the human's light dimmed, her sadness remained, mixing with It's own until they became one. It shied away from a sudden moonbeam, and pondered over this shared anguish. There must be a reason the humans created tears when they were sad.

_The crush of grief, of loneliness, of guilt…_

How could anyone know It had not meant for things to come to this?

_"My darlings."_

How could anyone know

_"My precious ones."_

that It never wanted

_"My beautiful"_

to become a monster.

_"children."_

Perhaps It should cry, too?


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

_Red._

_Her favorite color is red._

_One thousand red roses, and he brought them all for her. She is laughing with delight, dancing through the flowers, her red skirt floating around her on the sweet breeze. He watches her, his heart clenching with pain._

_He loves her so._

_Bending, she lifts a perfect blossom into her hands and presses it to her face, inhaling deeply the sweet perfume. She looks over the velvety red petals, her eyes shining into his. _

_"Jadeite! They are so beautiful!"_

_He steps through the scattered red roses, careful not to mar a single petal. He brought them all for her, and they must be perfect. For she is perfect._

_Then, she is in his arms. Her red lips are on his, and he lifts her off the ground with his arms around her waist. They kiss, and they laugh._

_"_Arigatou,_ my Jadeite!" she whispers in his ear._

_He puts her down, and smiles. "Do you like them?"_

_"I love them!" She looks down, and gives a half-giggle, half-groan, stepping back. "Oh, Jadeite, look what you have done!"_

_The bloom she held has been crushed in their embrace, staining her white blouse red, just over her heart._

_He touches her hair. "Do you love me?"_

_This makes her laugh more, and her eyes shine brighter. "_Hai!_ I will always love you!"_

_He puts out his arm for her, and she flies again into his embrace._

_But suddenly, she stops. Her smile slips a little, and she looks almost puzzled. A slight laugh comes from her red lips, but it is an astonished sound._

_"Jadeite?"_

_He watches as she steps back, her eyes slowly leaving his to travel down. The red flower on her blouse is growing, spreading quickly across her chest. Both gaze at it in wonder, until she raises her face once more to his._

_"What have you done?"_

_He begins to hold out both arms to her, but instead looks down in surprise. His sword is in his right hand. How did it get there?_

_She is still staring at him, her eyes shining ever brighter. Then the shine overflows, and tears are falling from her cheeks. He doesn't want her to cry, but he can't seem to move._

_"Why?"_

_Her lips quiver on that one word, red and shining. Then the shine spills, and the red is spilling from her lips, onto her white skin. Her white legs tremble weakly under her red skirt. Her red symbol is dimming on her forehead._

_His sword is in his hand, and the silver blade is stained with red roses._

_"Jadeite, you swore you loved me."_

_He does love her._

_But it is hard to explain, when his sword is in his hand, and the red stain has nothing to do with roses, and everything to do with life._

_"How could you betray me?"_

_There are no roses on the white marble. There is only red, staining the palace stairs, and spilling from her heart._

_"I loved you!"_

_Red on his blade, and red on her blouse._

_The color of roses…_

_Bending, her knees give out. She slumps to the ground. There is no white marble, only that most terrible color everywhere._

_"I trusted you!"_

_Red on his hands, wet and hot._

_The color of blood…_

_"I hate you!" Her eyes are fiery, fierce, burning as they begin to close. "I will never forgive you!"_

Please don't die! _he silently begs. But the red is everywhere, and there is nothing he can do._

_Red roses._

_Red blood._

_Red washing away her life._

_The color of Mars…_

_Red on his hands, on his blade, and she is gone._

_"MARS!"_

Blue eyes snapped open, then closed while their owner groaned in pain. Jadeite moved a hand to hold the light at bay, and carefully raised his lids to half-mast. _Where in all the Universe am I?!?_

Recognition clicked in. He lay on the couch in the Prince's apartment. From the rosy color of the light, it was just after dawn. The room appeared deserted.

Sighing, Jadeite let his hand fall limply back to his chest, and closed his eyes again. Part of him desperately wanted to have awoken to find beautiful Mars kneeling beside him, her face fixed with tender concern. Another part of him was relieved she did not kneel at his side, his dagger in her hand, ready to settle the score.

The darkest, deepest part of his heart wished she would take her vengeance, and let him return to the peace of oblivion, far from his memories, and her.

_Damn that woman! She always was trouble!_

"Are you dead?"

Jadeite allowed a small grin. "Unfortunately, no." He deigned to squint up at the tall figure with the dark cascade of hair. "Where the hell have _you_ been, Nephrite?"

The other man sank into the nearest chair. "A good question, old friend. Where have we all been?"

"I'm not asking for a philosophic discussion, I'm asking why we didn't find you in the same park as the rest of us!" He frowned. "And why did we come back in that park? I don't think I was ever there before."

"Me, neither. I mean, I did wake up in the same park. But I ran into someone before I could find you all."

"Someone?" Jadeite quizzed.

"A friend."

His eyes opened all the way. "A friend _I_ don't know? Who was it?"

Suddenly, Nephrite wouldn't look him in the face. He seemed to find his boots incredibly fascinating. "I don't want to talk about that just now. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Last night you looked like hell, even before that monster got Its claws on you," Nephrite reminded him.

Jadeite laughed bitterly. "The claws I can deal with. It's the tongue that will kill you."

"It almost killed you," Nephrite said quietly. "But what happened to your face?"

He received a silent, vicious glower in reply. Another, laughing, voice told him, "_Your_ 'Emerald Thunder Goddess'! I can't believe you call her that."

Zoisite came around the couch, grinning cheerily down at Jadeite. "You're alive! We were starting to wonder."

"If that crazed giantess had her way, I would already be dead!"

"Too true! Weren't you going to tell Nephrite something?"

"_Hai_." Jadeite looked his friend squarely in the eye. "I deplore your taste in women."

Nephrite ducked his head, unsuccessfully trying to hide his laughter. "What did my Jupiter do to you?"

"She kicked me, hit me, kicked me again, and then hit me in the face with a book."

"A book?" Nephrite echoed blankly.

"That came later," Kunzite explained, entering with a brimming glass. "And you wouldn't have been hit if you had ducked."

"How could I have seen it coming over your head, you oversized brute?" He eyed the glass hopefully. "Any chance that's for me?"

"Nope. Get your own."

"I'm an invalid!" Jadeite reminded them.

"You're a loud invalid!"

The Prince came into view with another glass, which he kindly handed to Jadeite. He grumbled his thanks, levering himself into an upright position. After taking a long drink, he paused to sigh contentedly.

"The modern world has one thing over our kingdom. Soda pop!"

"Told you," Kunzite muttered to the Prince, grinning.

Jadeite tipped the drink again, and managed to finish the contents in several swallows without stopping for air, earning their incredulous gazes. He put the glass aside

and ran a hand over his face.

"Hey!"

Zoisite chuckled. "I was wondering when you'd notice that. The Princess healed you last night. Healed us all, actually."

"But then you passed back out, and made her very worried," Kunzite said sternly. "That was very ungrateful of you."

"Take it up with that monster," Jadeite advised dryly.

"We will do just that, and more."

All five men jumped, Kunzite quietly cursing as soda slopped into his lap. Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru closed the door behind them, kicked off their shoes, and advanced into the apartment.

"My lord, will you please learn to lock your door?" Kunzite begged, dabbing at his pants with a tissue. "Damnation!"

"Why are you so upset? Those are my jeans!" the Prince reminded him.

The trio of women stopped at the Prince's side, opposite Kunzite, and regarded the four resurrected men with varying levels of uncertainty and hostility. Nephrite and Zoisite averted their eyes meekly, Kunzite faced them with cool confidence, and Jadeite grumbled irritably.

"Keep it up, and even the Princess won't be able to save you," Haruka snapped.

Jadeite straightened to glare back. "Shall we give it a go, m'lady?"

"Enough!" the Prince cut in sharply. "We are all on the same side."

Blue eyes held for a moment longer, then dropped obediently. Michiru lay a hand on her lover's shoulder comfortingly.

"Not to destroy the amiable atmosphere," Nephrite cut in, "but the others filled me in while Jadeite was napping-"

"Hey!"

"- and this monster is a frightening enigma. How can anything break free of something so powerful as this… black hole thing?"

Zoisite winced, mouthing painfully, "'Black hole thing?'"

"Perhaps… It did not come out the way It went in," the Prince mused.

"What do you mean?" Kunzite asked.

"It is impossible for It to have escaped the gravity of the black hole, but what if the hole is only a gateway into this other dimension, this Abyss? So, instead of pushing Its way back through the mouth, It clawed Its way through the walls."

"But _It_ didn't have enough mass to create a true black hole," Zoisite picked up in excited tones. "The Abyss is trying to pull us into itself without the help of a collapsed star. It can't do that without more energy."

Michiru raised a finger to break in. "Is that why that foul wind was able to escape when the Abyss devoured Mars' Flame Sniper?"

"It _ate_ her _attack_?" Jadeite yelped. "Oh, I'm sure she was thrilled."

"She became slightly irate," Haruka remembered, smirking.

Zoisite tapped his fingers on his knees excitedly. "But that would make sense. The more energy the Abyss receives, or the more matter it can convert into energy, the stronger it gets, and the thinner the barrier between us becomes."

"So our first priority is to keep it from obtaining any more energy," the Prince said firmly, "in any form."

"How can we do that?" Setsuna asked. "The only way would be to post guards at the alley around the clock. That will not work, as we cannot risk having our guards go insane at night when the Abyss tells them to, and feeding it attacks."

"Not to mention the attention it would call to see someone standing outside an apartment building for days on end," Jadeite added.

Kunzite pursed his lips thoughtfully. "We need someplace protected, from which we can see the alley, but also at a safe distance."

"And enclosed," Haruka added bleakly.

Silence settled over the apartment for a moment. Then, slowly, Zoisite raised his hand, a pained expression on his face. "I have an idea."


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

_A/N: I know you guys are tired of all talk and explanation, and I promise, after this chapter, more action! This story was never supposed to be this long. Arigatou and kisses to everyone who has stuck it out this far!_

"You decided _WHAT_?!?"

Several people winced as Usagi's voice climbed into the eardrum shattering decimals. The future Queen of Crystal Tokyo stood before her beloved, his Shitennou, and her own Outer Senshi, blood rushing to her face, sparks flying from her eyes. Her dainty little fists clenched at her sides, and she breathed raggedly through her teeth.

"We all _promised_ we were going to stick together!" she shrieked. "We _promised_ we would make our decisions together! And _you all_ go and make these plans behind our backs!"

"We did not go behind your back, Usako," Mamoru tried to soothe her. "You were asleep, and-"

She would hear none of it. "You called Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna to be there while you _knew_ the rest of us were asleep _on purpose!!!_"

The other seven defendants looked at him with little shrugs, as though to say, "Well, you _did_."

"Usako, please call down," Mamoru urged, reaching for her hand. She slapped his wrist angrily, and he withdrew with a sigh.  
"You all _lied_ to us!"

"Technically, _we_ didn't lie," Jadeite jumped in suddenly. "We only promised to obey the Prince, and we were just following his orders."

Kunzite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Mamoru all glared at him, the latter adding, "_Arigatou,_ old friend."

"_I DON'T CARE!!!"_ Usagi screamed. "You still went behind our backs and made plans without us!"

"What plans?"

Rei and Minako stared at them all quizzically, both balancing several thin, square boxes emitting a delicious aroma.

"If we can discuss this in a calm fashion," Michiru said gently, "you will understand why we did what we did."

"I don't want to understand!" Usagi argued stubbornly as Rei handed the first box to Haruka.

"Let's wait until Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn-"

"Makoto, Ami, and Hotaru!" the girls chorused impatiently.

"Until everyone is here," Jadeite corrected himself, "so we can consolidate the insults and recriminations. Did you bring anything to drink?"

Rei glared at him, slapping the last pizza onto the picnic table. "Why didn't _you_ bring anything?"

"With everyone always over the last couple of days," Mamoru explained, taking a slice of pepperoni, "my cupboards are kind of bare."

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi yelled, stomping her foot. "How can you eat pizza right now? We're fighting!"

"If you don't eat now, Princess," Kunzite said in a coaxing tone, "all the good pizza will be gone."

This logic appealed to her, as she leaned in to snag a slice with every imaginable topping on it.

"We brought desert!"

Makoto, Ami, and Hotaru came jogging toward them with a packed basket, followed by two yawning cats. There was a great amount of shuffling to fit all the food, as cookies, cakes, and soft drinks came out of the hamper. Fitting everyone around the table was an even bigger trial, ending with the men sitting on the grass beside the table, and Michiru perched on Haruka's knees.

"Now that everyone is here, can we continue arguing?" Usagi asked around a mouthful of melted cheese.

"We're arguing?" Hotaru whispered in confusion.

Rei shrugged. "Apparently."

"You seven," Usagi pointed accusingly, "deliberately met while we were all asleep to make plans without us."

"We did not mean to leave you out," Michiru said, "but you needed rest."

"And you didn't?" Makoto shot back. "We were all tired!"

"But we are bringing you up to speed now!" Haruka argued.

"By telling us what we will and won't do!" Usagi cried.

The other Inner Senshi and Hotaru exclaimed angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?" Minako demanded.

"_They_ have decided what is to be done about the portal in the alley," Usagi explained. "_They _are going to guard it at night to keep it from growing, _without_ us to get in their way."

"That's not how it is, Usako," Mamoru said. "We, well, Zoisite, came up with the ideal place to guard the portal without being outside at night, and hopefully without raising questions. But we just felt it would be better if you younger girls weren't involved in this part."

"Why not?" Rei snapped.

Jadeite raised his eyes to her with a grave expression. "The only place we could think of to safely guard the alley at night is the apartment where the young woman killed herself."

Every arguing jaw snapped shut. The six younger girls stared at them with wide, horrified eyes.

"You can't be serious," Luna breathed. "You plan to spend the night there?"

"It's a crime scene!" Ami added. "It's illegal!"

"It's not a crime scene," Setsuna corrected her. "A suicide is not exactly a crime. There will be no police, and no one else will want to be anywhere near it."

"It's still illegal," Ami said.

"Illegal, but necessary," Michiru reminded them. "We _cannot_ permit that thing to devour anymore energy. It is too close to breaking through as it is."

"But why can't we help?" Makoto pleaded. "Why do you always have to treat us like children?"

"What happened in that room is a terrible thing," Haruka said. "You shouldn't have to be exposed to it."

"We have seen terrible things," Rei snapped.

"Not this terrible."

Angrily, she dropped her eyes to glare at the tabletop. The wood glowed in the warm sun, and the cheerful chirps of birds filled the air. The day was beautiful, the food delicious, the friends dear… It should have been the perfect picnic.

But the fate of the planet, and perhaps more, hung in the balance. The food turned to ashes in their mouths, and the light felt too bright, the birds too loud, the warm air too close. Everything took a step passed perfect, and tumbled into the pit of chaos.

"Do we have to fight about this?"

Hotaru's sad voice made everyone turn to her. A half eaten piece of pizza lay discarded in front of her, and her violet eyes were downcast. The hint of tears streaked her cheeks.

"We're all friends, and all on the same side. Do we always have to fight with each other?"

"No," Usagi promised, leaning across the table to seize her hand. "We won't fight anymore. Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and the Shitennou will guard the alleyway at night."

"So will I," Mamoru added.

"You will not!" Usagi snapped in a surprisingly firm voice.

Unexpectedly, Kunzite rose to her aid. "Not you, my lord. It is our duty to protect you. So we will watch this thing, with the three ladies," he gave them a slight bow, "and you will stay with your princess, and protect her."

Mamoru frowned, but at last nodded. "Alright. But unless absolutely necessary, no one is to do anything anywhere near that portal! No planet attacks, no fighting, nothing that could feed it any energy! We are all agreed?"

"_Hai_," the others agreed.

"Meanwhile, it is not enough to just guard it," Kunzite spoke up. "We must also close this thing. I wonder, can we siphon energy _away_ from it?"

"There is one other thing we haven't discussed," Jadeite began, pulling a soft drink from off the table. "What are we going to do about the- Gah!"

Everyone shouted with alarm as a brown geyser erupted from the bottle. Cold soda soaked him from his golden hair to his borrowed tennis shoes. A stunned silence followed, until everyone burst into peals of laughter.

"_Minna!"_ Jadeite shouted angrily.

"Oh, you should see the look on your face!" Rei shrieked, leaning weakly on Usagi's shoulder, her whole body shaking with giggles.

He stared hard at them all a moment longer, then cracked, falling onto his back laughing. This did not help the others, who found themselves besieged with more hilarity. At last Rei had to hide her face in her arms, unable to meet Usagi's eyes without loosing control again.

"We…_haha_…we need to focus!" Kunzite announced in a somewhat shaky voice. "This is a very serious matter! Minako, please stop making that face!"

"I can't help it!" she cried, throwing her hands over face and giggling harder. "Stop looking at me!"

"The world is in peril!" Michiru laughed. "We need to… Stop it, Haruka!"

Haruka shook her head, her face buried helplessly in her lover's back.

"Come, now," Nephrite said, grinning weakly. "We all needed a good laugh."

"We did," Mamoru agreed. "But we also need to-"

"What is that?"

Jadeite, still lying on the grass, rolled over onto his stomach and pointed. "There, under the bush, near those swings. What is that? It looks like…"

They all followed his point, and the last traces of mirth vanished. Everyone rose, but no one took the first step. Deep inside, they all knew what they would find.

"Someone has to check," Makoto whispered.

Slowly, as though propelled by her quiet plea, Nephrite started forward. One by one, the others followed. No one rushed forward to offer aid. It would do no good.

Placing a gentle hand on the slim shoulder, Nephrite rolled the body over to face them. Black eyes stared out of a bone white face. Black, sinister lips contorted into a twisted O. A black tongue hung from the corner of that mouth. Sunken cheeks and a sunken chest made the body look small and skeletal. Fingers, twisted into claws, grasped an invisible assailant with black nails.

"Just like the man we found the night before," Kunzite noted. "It sucked the air out of her lungs until they caved in."

"Why?" Usagi whispered. "Why does It do this?"

"Why does anything do anything evil?" Nephrite muttered. "Some things just are."

"I don't believe that," she argued.

He looked up at her, and smiled a little. "And that is why only you can be… exactly who you are."  
"I don't care why It does this," Haruka snarled fiercely. "It must be destroyed!"

"That's what I was trying to say, before…" Jadeite picked at his wet tee-shirt. "We have the portal covered, but we still need to deal with its unholy offspring."

"It is weak during the day," Ami noted in a hushed voice. "We can, maybe, defeat It if we find Its new lair while the sun is still up. At least, we'll stand a better chance than last night."

Usagi bent to touch the dead girl's long, beautiful brown hair, and fear seized her heart. The moment of joy, when they had all laughed together, had spiraled all too soon back into chaos.

"This thing has to be stopped," she whispered, "or I don't think it will ever be safe to laugh again."


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

_A/N: No, I'm not dead. I'm now officially a college student once again, and I have NO time. But I had most the weekend off, so I decided to do one big update. Hopefully, you'll see more before spring break, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. pout Special thanks go to EmpressAuthor, you'll notice I changed the spelling in this chapter, and Lysia Croft for the support. My next project is to do all the reviews I promised. I haven't forgotten you, Rikou!_

"This is disturbing."

Jadeite turned away from the window to meet Nephrite's gaze with a little grimace. "True. But it really is the best place to keep guard."

"Still…" Nephrite stared uneasily at the rusty brown splatter stains. "Unbelievable. I didn't realize anyone could bleed this much."

Jadeite returned to his vigilance by the window. "Then you are lucky. Your memory must not be as sharp as mine."

"_Nani?_" Nephrite frowned in confusion, then suddenly gasped in understanding. "Oh. That."

"That," his fair friend agreed. A long moment of silence stretched between them, until Jadeite asked, "_Do_ you remember?"

"_Hai._" He crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "I remember all too clearly. The battle, the screams, her blood…"

"It is always there, isn't it? Just behind your thoughts, ready to pounce the moment you think you are safe."

"It's in her eyes," Nephrite added. "They are like twin stages, holding a never ending play, a tragedy retelling your every crime over and over again."

"She looks at you like she is in a nightmare."

"She looks at you like she is shattered inside."

"And you know," Jadeite whispered, "deep down you know, there is no way you can ever mend her. You cannot give her back what you stole. And you cannot end this terrible dream. Even if you were to disappear, even if you were to die again, the memories will haunt her forever."

No answer came from the other man. The words hung heavy in the air, the way truth always does. There was nothing more to be said.

"So… So you don't think that, maybe," Nephrite began slowly, "that just maybe-"

"_Iie_, Nephrite," Jadeite cut him off firmly. "Leave her be, or she'll be attacking you with books next."

A short bark of laughter made him turn, frowning. Nephrite shrugged guiltily. "It really is kind of funny."

"No, it isn't!"

"And if Mars had attacked me with a book, you wouldn't find it at all humorous?"

"Not as humorous as I'm going to find pummeling you myself!"

Blue eyes narrowed, Jadeite took a menacing step forward. Nephrite straightened, a challenging grin on his face. The two men squared off, ready for battle.

_CRASH!_

"What in all the rings of hell?"

Before Jadeite finished his exclamation, Nephrite had flung the door open and raced into the hall. There the men paused, having no idea where the source of the noise came from.

"GET OUT!"

"Up!" Jadeite shouted, running for the nearby stairwell. Nephrite flew after him.

A series of smashes drew them two floors up. Huffing and sweating, they raced down the hall, neither noticing that they were the only people reacting at all to the sounds of trouble. A door slammed open, and a young boy stumbled backwards into the hall.

"Mama!"

A tall woman with long red hair appeared in the doorway, a rolling pin in one hand. Her wide eyes saw only the child as she advanced through the door, tears rolling unchecked, her mouth open in a horrible gasp.

"YOU MONSTER!"

To their horror, the woman raised the rolling pin and brought it down hard. The child twisted, and the pin missed his head by centimeters, meeting his shoulder with a sickening crack. He fell with a pained cry.

"Jadeite, grab the boy!"

The mother spun towards the voice, raising her weapon too late. Nephrite slammed his body into her, thrusting her back against the wall. He grappled with her, but she seemed possessed of an insane strength. She squirmed and kicked, desperately surging back towards the boy with a terrible gleam in her eyes.

"Help me!" Nephrite shouted to his friend.

"I'm having my own problems!"

The boy apparently had no desire to be rescued. He struggled in Jadeite's arms, kicking and clawing in desperation. "Let me go!"

"Damn it!" Jadeite snarled. "The kid's strong!"

"It's genetic!" Nephrite yelled back. "Ma'am, please! I don't want to hurt you!"

"HE'S A MONSTER!" she screamed. "HE KILLED MY SON, AND TOOK HIS BODY! HE'S A DEMON!"

"My problems are worse than yours!" Nephrite declared. "Get over here!"

Gladly releasing the enraged child, Jadeite rushed to grab the swinging arm. Together they managed to wrest the rolling pin from her, their entangled bodies slamming against a neighbor's door. The weapon clattered from their struggle to the floor. Nephrite seized her hands, pinning them to her sides before she could inflict anymore scratches.

"Ma'am," Nephrite tried in a calm, soothing voice, "please listen to us! Your son is not a monster! You are just- GAH!"

The men had lost track of the little boy during the tussle with his mother. This turned out to be a mistake, as the child was now attached to Nephrite's arm by his teeth. He wrapped his arms around the tall man's waist and bit harder.

"Get him off! Get him off!" he shouted.

The blonde glowered angrily at him. "If you hadn't told me to let him go in the first place-"

"Damn it, Jadeite, the boy's about to hit an artery! Get him off me!"

Seizing the boy around the waist, Jadeite yanked him free. The child let loose an infernal shriek, twisting in his arms, trying to get hold of him with his sharp teeth. He tried shaking the child, but that only made him scream louder.

"Stop screaming! No one is hurting you!"

"HE'S A MONSTER!"

"He is your child!" Nephrite shouted, shaking her as well.

"HE'S A DEMON! KILL HIM!"

"BITCH!"

Nephrite twisted around to look at the boy pummeling his heels against Jadeite's shins. "WHORE! SLUT!"

"Maybe there is something to her story," Jadeite mused, trying to dodge the kicks.

"HE SPEAKS ONLY LIES!"

"SHE'S A WHORE! I KNOW EVERYTHING!"

"SHUT UP, YOU BEAST!"

Lunging, the woman almost freed herself from Nephrite's arms, one hand seizing a doorway and pulling. Grunting, the dark haired man seized her wrist and pulled her back into a more secure hold.

"Stop it! Listen to yourself!"

"LET ME GO! I HAVE TO DESTROY HIM!"

"BITCH! _YOU_ ARE THE LIAR!" The boy swung both legs hard, earning a pained shout from Jadeite. However, the angelic faced Shitennou refused to let go. "I KNOW! I KNOW EVERYTHING! YOU THOUGHT THAT YOU COULD HIDE IT, THAT YOU COULD MAKE ME BELIEVE YOUR LIES!"

She turned her head away, her voice suddenly weakening. "He's a monster! A monster… Not my son…"

"LOOK AT ME, MOTHER!" he shouted, tears now on his face. "LOOK AT YOUR MONSTER! YOU MADE ME!"

Her forehead wresting on the wall, she sobbed. "Not my son! Not my son! I didn't do anything wrong!"

Carefully, Nephrite loosened his hold on her, watching her trembling shoulders. The fight seemed to have left her. She clung to the doorway now for balance, shaking her head back and forth.

The boy glared at her, his voice lowering. "You thought he would believe you, your husband. But I don't look anything like him! I look like some other man, don't I? Because I am not his child!"

"Not true! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"He was afraid of people talking, so he stayed with you! But I hear them, whispering, saying I'm not his! And they're right, aren't they! YOU WHORE!"

Nephrite looked to his partner. "I think there is more to this than the wind, Jadeite."

"I know everything!" the child snarled. "Why did you have to have me? Why must I be the living reminder of your betrayal? He hates me, and everyone knows what I am! I should never have been born!"

"A monster," she moaned into the wall. "Make him stop."

"I won't stop!" he shrieked. "Every heartbeat is a reminder of your sins! You have to kill me, don't you, to be free? Well, do it!"

Like his mother, he suddenly drooped in Jadeite's arms, defeated. "Just do it. Kill me, and let us both be free of all you did."

Silence at last filled the hall, mother sobbing, son crying silently in Jadeite's arms. Sighing, Jadeite put the child on his feet and released him, only to see him fall to his knees in anguish. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, let his head fall heavily forward, and sat still.

"Okay," Nephrite began slowly, looking to Jadeite, "let's just-"

"DEMON!"

She moved frighteningly fast, slamming an unsuspecting Nephrite into the wall in her rush. The rolling pin was in her hand before Jadeite could shout. He barely had time to move as it arched through the air, and slammed down onto soft tissue.

"Oh, shitshitshit!"

Jadeite staggered back, tripping over the child on the floor, dropping the arm used to block the blow. "Damn it, is every woman in Tokyo trying to kill me?"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"

She swung again, catching Jadeite in the ribs and driving him back further. Her son scrambled out from under Jadeite's feet, and she turned after him.

"MONSTER! CHILD OF A MONSTER! I WOULD NEVER BETRAY MY HUSBAND!"

"Nephrite!" Jadeite shouted. "She's really going to kill him!"

Strong hands caught in her hair, yanking her head back as she swung wildly. "I CAN'T STAND TO LOOK AT HIM! HE LOOKS JUST LIKE THE MONSTER WHO DID THIS TO ME! HE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN!"

"Let her finish it!" the boy cried. "Let her be free of me!"

"Not gonna happen!" Nephrite snarled. "Jadeite, we have to lock them in somewhere!"

"Oh, really? Thank the gods you're here to take charge!" Jadeite snapped. "Knock her out!"

"I can't hit a woman!" Nephrite said. "You knock her out!"

"Why me?"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIM!"

"Whoa!" Jadeite shot her a startled look. "This is getting worse by the second!"

The woman had eyes only for her son, who, in turn, stared back at her in shock.

"I didn't know him," she whispered. "Our stove was broken. He came while Yukio was at work. Of course I let him in." Her head bowed again, this time in shame. "He was a very strong man. I could not fight back. I was so afraid.

"Yukio never believed me. I was bleeding, but he would not believe me. He only stayed when I found out I was pregnant, so people would not talk. They talked anyway."

"Mama…"

"He wanted me to get rid of the baby. But I would not. How can a man understand, the feeling of another's life inside your own body? So he had to stay. I did not want him to. He has blamed me all these years for something I did not do, and something I could not do.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, my baby. I'm sorry you had to suffer for my weakness. Please, forgive me…"

The rolling pin fell from limp fingers, and she, too, went to the floor, her hands out. The child crawled around Jadeite's knees, across the floor, into her lap. She folded her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his shoulder and sighing.

"_Ano_…" Nephrite looked at Jadeite, who shrugged back at him.

"I guess that take's care of that problem," Jadeite muttered. "I have a feeling Zoisite and Mercury-"

"Ami."

"- the blue haired girl are going to say, 'Hmm. Interesting.' I, however, have no idea what just happened. So-"

"He has made you this unhappy all my life?" the boy asked, leaning back to look his mother in the eye.

"Don't think about that, Tohru."

"He hates me, doesn't he? I always knew it!"

"Uh-oh," Nephrite muttered. "Jadeite…"

"He has," the mother whispered. "He always makes me feel guilty for what was not my fault!"

Their eyes met with shared fervor.

"Not good!" Jadeite yelped. "Grab one!"

Both mother and son darted forward, but the men were ready for them. They each caught an arm, Nephrite seizing the son, Jadeite the mother. The blonde grimaced once in apology.

"_Gomen!_"

A little knock to her temple, and she slumped forward in his arms.

"What have you done to my mother?"

Nephrite, looking equally sorry, tapped the child in the same place. He went rigid, then fell forward.

"Next time, we skip the reasoning and just knock them out!" Jadeite grumbled, picking the woman up in his arms, her red head slumped on his shoulder. "Come on."

They carried their burdens into the apartment, which looked like it had been on the receiving end of an earthquake. Jadeite laid the woman on the couch, picking up a blanket from the back of a fallen chair to cover her. Nephrite looked into the first bedroom, then the second. This room contained all the trappings of a young boy's life, from model airplanes to clothing tossed carelessly on the floor. He put the boy gently on the bed, picking up the quilt from the floor and spreading it over his thin body.

Returning to the living room, he found Jadeite rubbing his arm painfully and looking thoughtful. He raised questioning eyebrows at his friend, and earned a shrug.

"I thought for a moment we had found a way to stop the Abyss's influence. But we just redirected it."

"That's still something. Apparently, true feelings, like a mother's love for her son, and his for her, can beat back the evil tide, even if it just turns their anger to its true source," Nephrite reminded him.

"Yes, turning them in a murderous rage towards an unsuspecting man is much better. Wait a minute! Where is that bastard?"

"Her husband?" Nephrite looked around. "Huh! He's not here."

"Please tell me they haven't already killed him," Jadeite prayed.

"I don't think so, but we had better return to the apartment downstairs. We're supposed to be watching the portal."

Jadeite walked to the open window, putting his hands up to close it as he looked out. "Everything seems to be quiet, except… Oh, no!"

He sprang through the window, falling three stories towards the ground.

"JADEITE!" Nephrite flew to the window in time to see Jadeite land on his feet, then sprawl forward from the momentum of his fall. He grabbed something and rolled across the pavement, just outside the alley, and the portal's reach.

"Damn it!"

Nephrite turned and ran to the door, but darted back to slam the window shut. He sped out of the apartment, securely closing the door behind him, then made for the stairs. He just barely made it to the ground floor when Jadeite entered with a pronounced limp, scrapes all over his arms, and a very startled looking stray dog in his arms.

"What the?"

"It was heading straight for the alley," he explained, patting the mongrel's ugly head. "Even something this little could give it energy."

"You jumped out a three-story window to save a puppy?" Nephrite burst into laughter. "Oh, wait till the others hear this one!"

"You shut up!"

Jadeite's fierce glare was much undermined by the affectionate ministrations of the dog on his face.

"Yeech! I've been licked enough lately, you! Stop it!"

"Come on," Nephrite called, opening the door to the apartment they had commandeered. "We're still on guard duty for the rest of the night."

"_You're_ on guard duty!" Jadeite shot back, slumping against the wall and sliding into a sitting position. "_I'm_ back on invalid status!"

"Weakling," Nephrite muttered. He took up post by the window, looking out at the deceptively still alley. "What do you think the others are up to?"

Attempting to ward off the dog's helpful tongue, Jadeite said, "Nothing this exciting, I'm sure. But we have learned one more interesting fact tonight. It takes more than two people to properly guard this damn thing!"


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: I can't seem to seperate one scene from the other, so I hope I don't loose anyone this chapter._

Looking across the room at her clock, Ami gasped.

"Ah! I'm going to be late!"

Leaping up, she piled her physics books into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She was supposed to meet everyone but Nephrite and Jaedite, who were guarding the portal, at Mamoru's apartment for another meeting. Also, everyone felt safer as a group.

Ami skidded down the stairs, pausing briefly to tie her tennis shoes, then slammed through the door. A glance to the west showed the very last sliver of the sun sinking towards the horizon.

"Oh, no!"

She turned and started to run, her hands over her ears. As long as she didn't listen, she should be safe...

Meanwhile, across town in the Crown Arcade, Motoki yawned, putting his head down on the counter with a muffled groan. He felt so sleepy he could hardly keep his head up. His eyes refused to stay open.

All day long, he had no problem with work. But as the sun sank, so did his energy level. He felt like he could just fall asleep, standing right where he was.

"That's it! No one has been in here for over an hour. I'm closing up early."

He marched over to the open door and kicked the stopper out of the way. Flipping the sign to closed, he picked up the broom and dragged it listlessly across the floor. He had acquired a small pile of dust when a _taptaptap_ caused him to turn around.

A smiling face framed by dark blue hair peered at him, big blue eyes gleaming. She waved, and he hurried to open the door for her.

"Ami! What are you doing here?"

The young girl sidled past him into the arcade, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. Motoki watched with a bemused little smile as she dropped her backpack on the floor. That wasn't at all like Ami, nor was the mischievous smile in her eyes.

"Hi, Motoki," she all but purred. "I was passing by, and I saw you all alone in here."

He opened his mouth to answer, but instead let out a long yawn. "_Gomen_!"

Ami offered him a teasing pout. "Am I boring you, Motoki?"

"Not at all! It's just that I'm so sleepy tonight! I can't help it."

"Poor thing." Ami raised her hand to run it gently along his jaw. "It's not your fault. It's the wind."

"The wind?" he repeated blankly, watching with surprise as her hand moved lower to caress his chest.

Moving much too close, she raised her face to his. "Mmhmm. The wind is whispering tonight. You can't hear it with your ears, but you can hear it with your heart." Her fingers splayed over his chest. "Sometimes, it whispers bad suggestions, like telling you that you are tired. Other times, like when it whispered to me, the suggestions are really, really good."

"Really?" Motoki asked, trying to understand what she was saying. "What did it tell you?"

That was either the wrong answer, or the right one. Motoki wasn't sure what to think when she seized him by the back of the neck and dragged his face down to hers. Her lips locked onto his in a hard kiss.

"WHOA!"

Motoki leaped straight back, out of her grasp. "Ami, what are you doing?"

"Following the wind's excellent suggestion," she replied, smirking as she advanced on him again.

He dodged around her, trying to put a game between them. "Uh, Ami, I think I should call someone. Maybe your mother?"

"She's out of town for the rest of the week."

"How about Usagi, or Rei?"

"That's alright," she said, slowly beginning around the barrier between them. "I don't want to share you tonight."

Motoki backed up until he hit the counter. "Ami, do you feel alright?"

She came around the game, and his jaw dropped. Her blouse hung unbuttoned, and he could clearly see her innocent white bra with the little bow between her young breasts. He jerked his eyes to her face as she whisked the shirt all the way off, and she winked at him.

"You tell me."

"Ami, um, you're very pretty, and I like you, but I have a girlfriend!"

Ami smiled, tossing the shirt onto a stool at the counter. "But she's in a whole other country. And I won't tell."

"Yes, but you see, I'm in love with her, and I'm not in love with you, so- Mmph!"

While he was babbling about love, Ami darted forward, grabbed his collar, and pulled him against her. He tried to pull away from her demanding, sweet lips, but she caught his open hand, pushing it against her waist. Then she forced it up, over her ribs until he cupped her breast with his fingers.

_I love Rika! I love Rika! Ami's skin is really soft…Rika!_

Ami's lips and hands disappeared suddenly. Motoki sighed once in relief, until the fist smashed into his jaw.

"_What do you think you're doing to her?_"

Staring up into a pair of enraged green eyes, Motoki thought quietly, _I'm gonna die._

The man, a tall blonde with a long ponytail, seized him by the shoulders and spun him, slamming him back against the nearest game. "How dare you _touch_ her? I'll kill you!"

"Zoisite!" Another stranger, this one with long platinum hair, pulled him off the very grateful arcade employee. "Calm down!"

"He put his filthy hands on her!"

"She made me do it!" Motoki cried, pointing accusingly at Ami.

"Don't you talk about her like that! She is a pure maiden!" the struggling man, Zoisite, yelled. "You ripped the shirt off her innocent body, you bastard!"

"Zoisite!"

The three men turned to Ami, who stood between a very concerned Makoto and Minako, while Rei seized up her shirt from the stool. The semi-nude girl ignored her friends, and everyone else, to look meltingly up at her "savior."

"Did you come to rescue me?" she asked in a throaty voice.

"We were worried," Rei told her, slipping the shirt over her shoulders. "The sun was going down, and you still weren't there! Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna are looking for you, too. We need to tell them your okay!"

Ami shrugged the garment right back off, and moved towards Zoisite, her hips swaying in an enticing rhythm. All the men watched with varying degrees of surprise as she stopped in front of him, laying a hand on his chest.

"You saved me, my Zoisite."

His face softened as his eyes met. "Of course, Ami-chan. Now put your shirt back on, and we'll take you home."

"But I don't want to go home with _everyone._ I just want to go home with _you._" She grinned. "And I don't want to put my shirt on."

"_NANI?_"

Her hand began to caress down his body. "You came to rescue me. Don't you think you deserve a reward?"

"Ami-chan! Hands!"

Zoisite leapt back, and the platinum haired man quickly went from restraining him to protecting him.

"Minako! Makoto! Grab her!" he shouted.

Her friends caught Ami's arms as Rei once again advanced with the shirt. Ami struggled, kicking Makoto in the shin and stomping on Minako's foot. The three girls refused to give in, managing together to put her arms through the sleeves. Buttoning the shirt proved a bit more difficult, as it put Rei in direct line with Ami's feet.

"Ami-chan!" Zoisite snapped. "Behave yourself!"

"If I'm naughty, will you punish me?"

"AMI!" all three of the other girls cried. "STOP THAT!"

"Why?"

"Because… it's wrong!" Rei cried.

Ami looked past her again to the tall blonde, her lashes fluttering seductively. "But I need Zoisite, right now. I need him with me. I need him to touch me."

"Two minutes ago, you needed Motoki to touch you," Minako reminded her. "What you're feeling isn't real!"

"Hey!" Zoisite cried, crestfallen.

"But I want Zoisite the most. I like him much more than Motoki."

"Hey!" Motoki added, affronted.

"I like Zoisite more than any other man," she added longingly. "I remember… Zoisite knows just how to touch a girl. He has wonderful hands."

The girls, his friend, and Motoki looked to Zoisite, who promptly turned bright red. He went to Ami, spun her around so she was facing away from him, and caught her under the arms, lifting her into the air. Holding her straight out at arms' length, he marched her to the door.

"Rei! Please!"

Rei obligingly opened the door, and he carried the giggling girl out into the night. They all watched through the window as he walked down the sidewalk, Ami talking and his face growing redder by the moment.

"I don't even want to know what she's saying," Rei admitted. "Come on, Makoto, we'd better catch up for protection."

"I don't think Ami is going to need protection from Zoisite," the other stranger told them.

"No, but Zoisite might need protection from Ami," Makoto reminded him as they left.

The platinum haired man turned to Motoki with an understanding smile. "Sorry. Ami hasn't been quite herself recently."

Motoki gave a little laugh. "I can see that."

"I know. You seem like a very nice young man. So I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that you, in fact, saw nothing of the sort."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Kunzite," Minako added in a warning tone.

The man put his hand on Motoki's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Ami was not here tonight. You fell, and bumped your jaw on the counter. It must have hurt a great deal. You saw nothing of interest tonight."

Looking up into those frighteningly pale eyes, Motoki swallowed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Kunzite!" Minako called again. "Motoki is our friend. He would never do anything to hurt Ami!"

"I know that. Hurry home, young man, and try not to talk to anyone. And if you see someone who looks just like Usagi, but with black hair, run."

Kunzite patted his shoulder in a big brother fashion, and turned away. Opening the door, he paused to let Minako precede him. He followed, and on the sidewalk offered her his arm gallantly. After a pause, Motoki saw her smile up at him, and slip her hand through his elbow. Shining heads bent close together, he thought sleepily that they made a lovely picture walking away under the moonlight.


	21. Chapter 21

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title. _

Hotaru watched her princess as she sat by the window and chewed her lip nervously. Every thirty seconds she checked her watch, then the clock on the wall to reassure herself. A long sigh seemed to seep away her strength, and she leaned weakly against the pane of glass.

"Don't worry, Usako. They'll find her," Mamoru promised, putting his arms around her waist from behind.

"But what if something happened to her?" She turned in his arms, looking worriedly up into his eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without Ami!"

"You won't have to figure it out, because she's safe. If she wasn't, you would know, wouldn't you?"

A little smile flitted across her face. "I guess."

Relaxing, she laid her head on his chest. He gently began stroking her hair, fingers combing gently through the long, silky locks. Her eyes were closed, and his loving gaze rested on her sweet face. He brushed a kiss across the top of her head.

Hotaru slid lower in her chair, hoping not to disturb them, or catch their attention. She knew she should discreetly find somewhere else to be, but her eyes peered guiltily over the arm of her chair at the lovers.

Usagi lifted her head, and Mamoru leaned forward. He kissed her softly on the lips, her eyes closing with a happy little sigh. Her arms rose to wrap around his neck, while one of his hands went to the small of her back, the other at the nape of her neck. Bending her gently back, Mamoru deepened the kiss.

_That looks nice,_ Hotaru mused wistfully. _I wonder what it would be like to be kissed that way, by someone who really loves me._

Of course, it would be a very hard think to love the Senshi of destruction. It had taken a long time for even Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, and Setsuna-mama to accept her, and they were Senshi. How could a stranger ever understand that she did not _want_ to be powerful enough to destroy the world? Only two people had ever loved her without question. Papa, and Chibiusa-chan, and both seemed so far away.

_I wish Chibiusa-chan were here,_ she thought. _I know mama, mama, and papa love me, but they're so much older than I am. If I just had someone to talk to…But even Chibiusa-chan wouldn't understand._

"Hotaru!"

Usagi's face burned, though a silly grin stayed on her lips. "I forgot you were there! _Gomen!_"

Forcing a smile, Hotaru shrugged. "That's alright."

"No, it isn't," Mamoru said firmly. "That was wrong of us."

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi snapped, turning on him with a little frown. "There's nothing wrong with kissing the girl you love!"

"But to do it in front of a young girl-"

"Mamo-chan!"

Hotaru couldn't help the little giggle that escaped her. The couple turned to her, and she shrugged guiltily. "It's weird, but you guys sound like you're in love even when you're fighting."

This seemed to soothe Usagi, as she smiled and came towards her. "That's because when you're really in love, not even an argument can make you forget it."

"Unless you miss her birthday," Mamoru muttered.

"I apologized for that!"

"Being in love must be nice," Hotaru said.

Usagi sat on the arm of her chair and dropped her hand on her shoulder. "It's the best thing in the world." She winked playfully down at her. "But friends are a close second."

Smiling, Hotaru leaned her head against Usagi's waist, enjoying her gentle warmth. "Friends are nice."

The door opened suddenly, and Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru came in, looking windswept and concerned.

"Are they here?"

"Who?" Usagi asked.

"The others!" Haruka demanded, helping Michiru out of her jacket.

"_Iie,_" Mamoru answered slowly. "Should they be?"

Setsuna ran a distracted hand through her hair. "They said they had found Ami, and were on their way back."

"They found her!" Usagi exclaimed happily. "Is she alright?"

The three women looked uncertainly at each other. "We think so," Michiru said at last.

"What do you mean, you _think_?" Mamoru asked in alarm.

"Well, we heard her giggling a lot over Rei's communicator. And, well, I really hope she was talking to a man," Setsuna explained.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haruka demanded.

Mamoru interrupted. "Why? What was she saying?"

"Why don't you just tie me up?"

Six heads whipped around to face the door. Ami came through first, feet dangling off the floor and a naughty smile on her face. Next, a very harassed looking Zoisite entered, holding her away from him like she was a bomb about to explode. Behind him, trying unsuccessfully to hide their grins, Rei and Makoto almost tripped on their way through the door. Kunzite and Minako came in last, arm in arm and looking highly amused.

"What's going on?" Usagi asked, leaping up from beside Hotaru. The little Senshi of Silence rubbed her cheek, already missing her princess's warmth.

"Ami-chan isn't feeling well," Zoisite announced firmly. "My lord, may I borrow your bedchamber?"

"Uh, okay. Go ahead."

"_Arigato,_ Mamoru!" Ami called with a big grin. "Zoisite-chan, I think I saw a canister of whipped cream in the refrigerator earlier. Why don't you?"

Zoisite disappeared into Mamoru's bedroom, and they heard a muffled _thump._ Seconds later, he darted back out, slamming the door behind him. Immediately, pounding began against the door.

"Zoisite-chan, don't be shy! It's perfectly natural! Come back!"

"When did they start calling each other Zoisite-chan and Ami-chan?" Usagi asked the other girls.

"In the arcade," Rei said, as though that answered everything.

"How do I lock this thing?" Zoisite asked, his voice panicked.

"You can't," Mamoru told him with a shrug. "What's going on?"

Makoto burst into giggles, while Rei grinned. "Well, Ami ran into Motoki, and thought perhaps she would like him to, er, touch her. But then Zoisite showed up, and she remembered that she likes Zoisite more than Motoki, so she's been trying to get him to touch her all the way here."

"This isn't funny, Mars! There has to be a way to keep her in there!"

"Zoisite-chan, don't you want to know what panties I'm wearing? They're very cute, white and lacy with a bow. They match my bra! I'm sure you remember what that looks like! Just imagine!"

"I will not!"

Haruka looked closely at his beat red face, then pointed accusingly. "You _are_ imagining it! _Hentai!_"

"Now, imagine your teeth-"

"Make her stop!" Zoisite begged.

Shoulders shaking silently, Mamoru dropped onto the couch, a hysterical Usagi landing next to him. Their laughter proved infectious, as everyone but Zoisite burst into helpless gales. He glared at them helplessly.

"You can't hold this door closed all night!" Ami called in an almost threatening voice.

"Oh, yes I can!"

"Maybe we should help him," Kunzite murmured, leaning over Hotaru towards Mamoru.

"Why? This is funny!" Rei shot back.

Usagi wiped tears from her eyes, then fell into a renewed fit as Ami and Zoisite proceeded to have a tug-o-war contest with the doorknob. At last she put her hand on Hotaru's arm, still giggling.

"I think Zoisite is about to find out just how strong love really is!"

"Someone please help me!"


	22. Chapter 22

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Just a short chapter to remind you of the other enemy._

The Creature craned Its neck, squinting against the burning white aura surrounding the woman whose face she wore, and the tall man who had burned her hand the night before. Beyond them, a dark cloud hung around the tiny, violet girl.

_What is it, little one, that makes you so sad?_

It watched her as the other woman hurried to her side, watched as the little violet woman clung to her, basking in that brilliant silver radiance. The dark cloud softened, but did not disappear. The little one was still sad.

_What is it, little one, that reminds me of myself?_

Other women entered, and It chose retreat, retracting Its claws from the shadows. It plummeted to the ground, landing lightly on delicate feet. Just as It turned to the East, in hopes of finding prey, It spotted more of the bright-souled women and men heading towards It. It sank into the comforting dark, watching with interest.

The woman who thought herself so wise hung in the arms of her man, laughing and speaking in a strange, poison-sweet tone. Though dark streaks from the Abyss twisted through her soul, the light of her true heart shone twice as bright, ribbons of light flickering around to caress his face.

_So sweet. But you, little one, have no one to caress your tears away. You are a cataclysm waiting to happen._

It watched them through narrowed eyes as all those shining people exited the dark into the light, then flicked Its gaze back up to the window with Its cold smile.

_You are a danger, little one._

It turned and walked away, knowing It would not have to wait long. She would come to It.

_You are just like me._


	23. Chapter 23

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Another special thanks to Lysia Croft for the sweet reviews. It's great to know some people are actually sticking this monster out._

_At some point, this chapter has a song that some of you may know. It's called _Anata no Sei Janai, _or in English, It's Not Your Fault. It's Makoto's image song from the first season, I believe, and I thought it fit very well in here. This is not a _perfect_ transcript of this song, I edited it a tiny bit to fit the scene. Thoughts are still italicized, so the song has ellipsis (…) as well as being italicized. I hope that isn't too confusing!_

"Chocolate!"

"Powdered sugar!"

"Glazed!"

"A bagel, please."

Everyone stopped to look at Setsuna with concern. She returned their gazes with one of mild surprise.

"_Nani?_"

"A bagel?" Usagi repeated, almost affronted. "You can have anything you want!"

"I would like a bagel."

"Usako," Mamoru reprimanded mildly. "Setsuna can have a bagel if she wants. You want two jelly filled, right?"

Giggling with delight, Usagi turned back to the bakery's selection, snuggling into her boyfriend's side with contentment. Makoto grinned and looked at Setsuna. Together, they rolled their eyes and laughed.

"So where _are_ those two?" Rei demanded suddenly. "I thought they were supposed to meet us here two minutes ago?"

"I'm sure they're on their way," Kunzite reassured her, bending to peer over Minako's shoulder into the case. He said something in an undertone which made the blonde cover her mouth quickly, shoulders shaking in silence.

_Wow. Those two got over their problems really easy,_ Makoto thought almost enviously. _Look at the way he smiles at her, and the way she glows at him. They're just like they used to be. I wonder if she's really been missing him, all this time, just like-_

She cut off that line of thought quickly. It only led to trouble.

"Ami, what do you want?" Mamoru asked.

"Huh?"

Wide-eyed, Ami spun to face him with a horrified expression. Her eyes flickered briefly over his shoulder, catching sight of Zoisite for half a second before she burned red and dropped her eyes to the ground.

"I don't care. Whatever."

"Okay," Mamoru muttered slowly. "Uh, Zoisite?"

"Whatever."

Several snickers were stifled, everyone pretending to be more interested in the doughnuts than Ami and Zoisite's mortification. Neither genius had been able to meet the other's eye all morning. Ami had not given up her amorous fight until the first rays of dawn, when she at last fell into an exhausted sleep. Only after he was certain of his own safety had Zoisite managed to collapse into a chair and catch a few hours of rest.

"Rei, what kind of doughnut do you want?" Mamoru asked.

Purple eyes narrowed in a fierce glare at her watch, Rei snarled distractedly, "Chocolate."

"I'll have what she's having."

Makoto watched, torn between amusement and pity, as her friend spun around, her glower flashing into a smile, and then, as she caught herself, turning into a frown.

"You're late."

"_Gomen_," Jadeite muttered, rubbing his arm with a wince. "We had a long night. Did you come up with anything useful from your research?"

"We didn't really get a chance to do a lot of research," Kunzite said.

"Why not?"

"I'm not the only one who can do research, you know!" Ami snapped in a shrill voice. "Everyone else can read!"

Jadeite raised his eyebrows. "Alrighty, then. Did I miss something?"

"_IIE_!" Ami and Zoisite shouted.

The whole bakery turned to look, and both blushed even brighter.

"This must have been good," Jadeite chuckled. "What happen? Did you two get caught? What are you doing?"

Rei had stormed forward suddenly, her face white and still with a dangerous calm. Her fingers shot out to his shoulder, and snatched something off his sweater. She held it directly in front of his face accusingly.

"Unbelievable! I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"What are you babbling about?"

"You promise to watch the portal, to keep this city safe, and then you turn around and find some redhead slut!"

"Oh! It's a hair!" Michiru cried in surprise. "I can't see it from here."

"I did not go find some redhead slut!"

"Well, where did _this_ come from, huh? It sure as hell didn't come from Nephrite!"

"I don't snuggle with Nephrite, either!"

"So if you were watching the portal, where did it come from?"

"That is a good question," Kunzite noted mildly.

"Do _not_ help," Jadeite growled back.

Makoto raised her hand just a little to break in. "Where _is_ Nephrite?"

"I left him back in the park."

"Why is he in the park?"

But Rei had recaptured his attention by stomping on his foot. The two launched into an impassioned row, with many accusations and defenses. Makoto heaved a sigh and leaned closer to the other girls.

"I'm going to go find Nephrite!"

They all nodded, not taking their eyes from the fight in their midst. Again, the entire bakery was watching them, but neither seemed to notice anything but each other.

_She's angry, jealous, yelling…Even Rei is falling in love again._

Makoto paused to shade her eyes against the bright morning sun, squinting across the street at the park where she had first run into Jadeite just two days ago.

Two days ago, she had hardly even thought about the dead Shitennou, let alone their past lives together. Now, that was almost all she could think of. And there, across the street with his back to her so she could see only his shining waterfall of dark curls, his powerful shoulders, and his tall figure, was the reason.

…_My memories are glittering…_

_…That's right, ever since then…_

_…Whenever I meet a man who reminds me of you…_

_…My heart flutters…_

Smiling just a little, Makoto jogged across the street. An old impulse kept her from calling out to him. Instead, she slipped quietly forward with the intent of leaping up and covering his eyes. She would whisper in his ear, "Guess who?" He would make silly guesses, "Endymion! Queen Serenity!" until she laughed, and released him to just hang over his shoulder, her lips at a very convenient height. He always accepted this invitation, turning his head until their mouths met.

…_No matter how often I fall in love…_

_…I never do it successfully…_

Drawing close, she stopped suddenly when she heard his voice. He was speaking to someone, hidden from her sight by his averted form. His voice was alarmingly warm and soft.

"_Gomen!_ I didn't mean to worry you. I meant to come and see you, but last night I was busy."

"I was just afraid something had happened to you, Nephrite!"

A girl's voice, and just as soft and warm as his. She sounded like she was in love.

"_Gomen,_ Naru-chan."

So did he.

_…It's not your fault, I am so sorry…_

_…It's the fault of the rain that started to fall…_

"I had to go."

"You said you would return to me if you could!"

Makoto almost doubled over in pain. She had not realized anything could hurt so much as those words. She wanted to sink into the ground. She wanted to die.

No man had ever hurt her so much, without even knowing she was there.

_…I've had as many loves as there are stars in the sky…_

_…But I…_

"Naru-chan, I told you-"

"Please, don't talk about your duty, or whatever. I don't understand any of it. I just want… I just want to know you're alright."

He reached out, and Makoto winced as Naru lay her cheek on his chest. The smaller girl sighed, her delicate little arms wrapping tightly around his waist while he stroked her hair. She looked so tiny against him, so feminine and pretty.

Nephrite's head was turned a bit as he looked down, and Makoto put a hand over her mouth to stifle her sob.

_…Your few innocent looks at me…_

_…Your smile, the color of brown cocoa…_

_…I know, you who are so gentle…_

_…There is no one who can take your place in my heart…_

Makoto backed up blindly several steps, and considered running. She couldn't seem to turn her eyes away from their tender tableau, watching through her tears as Naru tilted her head back to look up at him. The way he brushed his thumb over her cheek cut Makoto like a knife.

_…Roaming about the ends of the sky…_

_…Like the clouds, my heart is in so much pain…_

She had been a fool. Just for a moment, she let herself believe that the past could be saved, that their love meant enough to live again. But she was just a memory to him, maybe even a mistake from long ago.

Who could blame a man for wanting a delicate, sweet girl who didn't punch their friends in the face? Naru looked more the maiden, more the _girl_, than Sailor Jupiter or Makoto ever could.

_…It's not your fault, I'm so sorry…_

_…After time passes by, you will forget this…_

_…But please, I beg of you, inside my dreams…_

_…Always stay right by my side…_

Biting her lip, Makoto watched him cup one hand around her face. She rubbed her cheek against his palm, her lips parting just a bit in an innocently seductive way. He dipped his face just a little closer to hers, completely oblivious to Makoto's anguished presence.

_…It's not your fault, I'm so sorry…_

_…It's the fault of the rain that started to fall…_

His lips softly brushed against her forehead, and Makoto felt her heart break all over again.

_…I've had as many loves as there are stars in the sky…_

_…But I am still in love with you…_

Makoto closed her eyes, no longer able to bear the sight.

_Oh, Nephrite, I'll always be in love with you._

"NEPHRITE!"

All three of them jumped, the couple separating as Nephrite spun towards Rei's angry shout. His eyes landed on the girl so close behind him, and he gasped.

"Makoto!"

"_Gomen,_" she breathed, ducking her head so he would not see her tears. "Jadeite didn't say… We're getting doughnuts! What kind do you want?"

"Nephrite!"

Rei stomped up to them, holding the incriminating hair out in front of her. "How did _this_ get on Jadeite's shirt?"

"What is it?"

"A red hair!"

He looked up into her enraged face, and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Rei snapped.

"The only woman with red hair we saw last night attacked him!"

Her eyes widened, and Rei gasped. "Really? He wasn't making that up?"

"Of course not."

"Oops."

"What 'oops'?" Makoto asked.

"Well, I didn't really believe any woman hit him in the ribs with a rolling pin, so I… kinda… hit him…in the ribs."

Dead silence followed this, until Makoto and Nephrite burst into whoops of laughter.

"He's right! Every woman in Tokyo is trying to kill him!" Nephrite cried.

"You shut up!"

Rei turned around and began stomping back the way she had come. Collecting herself, Makoto called after her, "Where are you going?"

"Now I have to go apologize to that _baka!_"

"Poor Jadeite," Nephrite chuckled. "Her apologies are more dangerous than her accusations!"

"Nephrite! I didn't know you were friends with Makoto and Rei!"

Both turned to Naru, who still held onto his waist, though now she looked jealous and possessive.

"Oh, well, um," Makoto stumbled, falling unpleasantly back to Earth, "he's actually friends with Mamoru. We're not really friends. We just know each other."

Nephrite caught her eye, and their gazes locked in silent understanding. At last he bowed, just a little, and whispered, "_Hai._ If that's the way you want it…"

"_Hai._ We'll be over by the bakery when you are done." Makoto bowed to them both. "_Sayonara._"


	24. Chapter 24

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Lots of people to thank this time around. Thanks and kisses to Cardcaptor Eternity for the support, Georgia Haight for the encouragement, Katcin Lee for being the first to comment on the Creature (I love that character), v1786 for just being sweet, and Lysia Croft for everything! Oh, and Audrey, for just being you. I love you guys!_

"Ami?"

The blue-haired girl looked over the top of her notebook. "_Hai?_"

Hotaru sat down beside her on the couch. "Is there a way to stop a black hole?"

Ami smiled gently at the younger girl. "Don't worry, Hotaru. We're not going to let that thing win."

"But… is there a way to destroy it?"

"Not that I know of. Our best chance right now is to siphon off some of its energy. That's what I'm working on."

Violet eyes flickered to her feet, and Hotaru whispered, "I wonder…"

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking aloud."

"They found another body," Haruka announced, coming through the front door. "Two, actually. Both sucked dry, just like the girl in the park."

"How terrible!" Ami cried, shuddering. "Where did you find that out?"

She smirked. "I know where the police like to go for lunch. If you dawdle in just the right booth over your meal, someone will always say something interesting."

"Oh, Papa, you sound just like a spy!" Hotaru giggled. "Did you learn anything else?"

"The sandwiches were too dry today, and the waiter was very rude."

Michiru came out of Mamoru's kitchen with a consoling grimace and a cup of tea. "Spying is hard work."

"_Arigatou,_ love," Haruka sighed, kissing her cheek. "Where is everyone?"

"Jadeite and Rei got into another fight, and Rei stormed out, saying she was going to get drinks, after kicking Jadeite in the knee of course, and then _Jadeite_ stormed after _her_ saying he was going to get cookies, which is strange because Makoto left just a few minutes earlier to get cookies herself. I don't know why everyone thinks we need so many cookies," Ami mused. "Anyway, Usagi fell asleep on the couch, so Mamoru put her in his bedroom with Luna and Artemis, and then he, Setsuna, and Zoisite went to the college library to maybe pick up more books. Kunzite and Minako took my computer over to the portal to get me some new readings, and because I think they were bored and felt useless. Nephrite fell asleep on the floor." She pointed helpfully over the back of the couch.

Haruka looked wide-eyed to Michiru, who shrugged and murmured, "You _did_ ask."

"Remind me never to do so again."

"Who is going to watch the portal tonight?" Hotaru asked suddenly.

"We are, sweetheart," Michiru said.

"Just the two of you?"

"No. Jadeite thinks it takes more than two people to watch it, so it will be us and Setsuna."

Her "daughter" looked down at her hands in her lap, apparently lost in deep thought. Concerned, Michiru went to her. "We'll be very careful, I promise. Everything will be alright, Hotaru."

Twilight eyes rose to her, and the tiny girl smiled. "I know."

"Though I will admit, the thought of spending the night in that apartment is a little disturbing," Haruka muttered.

"Now, love, we've faced things far more frightening than that."

_SLAM!_

"What in the?" Nephrite shot up off the floor, eyes wide, hair standing up everywhere.

Jadeite marched into the apartment, threw a package of cookies on the table in front of the couch, and stormed into the kitchen.

_BANG!_

Rei stormed in, flung two bottles of soda onto the table beside the cookies, and marched into the bedroom.

"Do they have to _slam! bang!_ everywhere they go?" Nephrite demanded, shoulders slumping and eyes closing tiredly. "Gods, I though we were under attack!"

"We might be yet," Haruka reminded him dryly. "It's only noon and they're already working themselves into a full fledged war."

"I can hear you!" the combatants shouted from their respective retreats.

"Good!" she yelled back.

"He is the most stubborn!"

"_Me?_ In _two_ lifetimes I have never met anyone more pigheaded!"

"SHUT UP!" Nephrite bellowed. "For the love of Sol, I'm exhausted, my head hurts, and if you two don't knock it off right the hell now I'm gonna throw you _both_ out the window! You're not gonna survive _that_ fall, my friend!"

"Why is everyone yelling?"

Usagi stumbled into the living room, as disheveled and sleepy as Nephrite, blue eyes only half open, blonde hair sticking to her cheeks. She wobbled over to the couch and collapsed beside Ami.

"And why is Rei beating up Mamo-chan's pillow? Ooh, cookies!"

Smiling with sweet innocence, she opened the box, then fell into a frown. "Oh, they're all broken."

"_Tadaima!_"

Makoto quietly closed the door behind her, and smiled around, holding up a bag. "I didn't know what everyone wanted, so I got an assortment."

"See? Quietly walks in, doesn't start yelling…_This_," Nephrite announced wearily, pointing at her, "is why I love you."

He disappeared behind the couch again. Ami rose up onto her knees to peer over the back, and shook her head.

"Unbelievable. He's asleep."

Makoto smiled tightly, ducking her head. "He probably never even woke up. He was just talking in his sleep."

"Oh, Mako-chan," Michiru murmured, touching her wrist.

"What's wrong with Mako-chan?" Usagi demanded, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

Haruka took the box from Makoto, opened it, and held it out. "Just have a cookie."


	25. Chapter 25

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Things are going to start getting more serious…_

"Well, I don't really think that would work."

"But what if we…?"

"That's even more dangerous!"

Hotaru walked casually into the kitchen, listening to the voices in the living room. Ami and Zoisite had recovered a little bit from their mortification around each other, at least enough to sit and argue physics with Mamoru. The other Senshi and Shitennou were sitting around like sports spectators, watching those who had any understanding of black holes with mystified expressions.

Pausing at the counter, Hotaru reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, transparent orange plastic bottle. It usually held small pills to help Hotaru relax at night. Now, the bottle was empty, the capsules immersed in a "special tea" she had sent along with Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru.

"_Gomen,_ Mama, Mama, Papa," she whispered, tossing the bottle into the garbage. "But you would try to stop me from doing what I have to. What only I can do."

"No, that wouldn't work. We would have to get too close, and it would probably just swallow us," Ami's voice said. "Think! We must be missing something!"

_You are. The answer has been sitting beside you all day._

Hotaru peaked around the corner. No one seemed to have noticed her absence. With any luck, it would be a long time before they would.

Quietly as she could, she slipped out of the kitchen. No one turned in her direction as she opened the door, then ever so gently closed it behind her.

_Move fast,_ she ordered herself, hurrying to the elevator. _You can't let them stop you. They won't want you to do it, but that's why you…that's why _I_ was born._

A breath of warm air spilled out into the night after her as she hit the sidewalk running. The portal was over a mile away, but these days she know longer suffered from a sickly body. She checked her bunny-shaped watch, a parting gift from Chibiusa, then looked up into the dark sky dotted with brilliant stars. Briefly, she whished she could see Saturn. It would have given her a strange measure of comfort, and perhaps some strength.

Suddenly, Hotaru stopped and spun around. She could see nothing, though her Senshi instincts were screaming danger. Her eyes scanned the sidewalk, the buildings, the shadows, all to no avail.

"I know you are there," she called. No one and nothing answered. She stared a moment longer, then turned and ran even faster.

_I won't let fear stop me._

But the apartment building came into view all too soon. She slowed to a walk, gasping for breath, her hand on her heaving chest. Just ahead was her destination, and possibly her damnation.

"I have to do this," Hotaru told herself again. "If I don't, everyone else will die. Mama, Mama, Papa, the Princess, and with her Chibiusa-chan… Everyone I love. I won't be afraid."

Her small, bejeweled wand came out of her pocket, clenched tightly in a child's fingers. She took a deep, steadying breath, and called on the Planet of Ruin.

"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER, MAKEUP!"

A blast of pure power surrounded her. Her head fell back in a gasp as something seared her forehead. For a moment her planet symbol burned hot, then an amethyst jewel appeared, gold headband growing to encircle her head. Hotaru's clothes shredded away, and she was wrapped in bands of light that shimmered, then became a white bodysuit. A purple skirt swished around her thighs, tied with a black bow, and tall boots encased her legs. Her hand reached out, nails flashing violet, and closed around the cool metal of the Silence Glaive.

The light dimmed, and Sailor Saturn stepped closer to the alley. The lack of attention to her transformation proved that Michiru, Haruka, and Setsuna had succumbed to her sleeping potion, and could not stop her. She was free to face the enemy.

At the entrance she paused, studying the emptiness. She could not see it, but she felt it, cold and evil, almost a breathing entity of darkness.

"I am here to stop you," Saturn told the invisible evil in a strong, sure voice. Something in the alley seemed to laugh, and she smiled coldly. "You don't know me. I _can_ stop you."

Hissing came from the shadows, a snarled taunt to attempt her threat.

"Very well. DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!"

Black ribbons exploded from her glaive, streaking through the alley to a single pinpoint. They snapped, then flared, as Saturn dug her feet into the ground. Her arms ached, but she held her weapon and her attack.

Screams erupted from the darkness, the sound of a million souls in torment. The Soldier of Ruin held tight as the portal writhed under her assault. Her ribbons crackled, draining more and more dark energy away from the black hole.

"Give up!" she snapped, sweat rolling down her face. "I will not let you win!"

"DIE!"

A black bolt, identical to Mars' lost missile two nights before, exploded out into her chest. She grunted and stumbled, but refused to staunch her attack.

"I am the most powerful of the Senshi! _I will not fail!_"

"WE WILL RIP YOU TO PIECES!"

_"YOU CAN TRY!"_

A roar shook the buildings, the ground, and the sky. Sailor Saturn's black ribbons strained and… broke.

A single gasp flew past her lips, then Saturn fell backwards onto the sidewalk. Her elbows took the brunt of the fall, the back of her head just grazing the hard ground. She moaned and lifted one arm, seeing a bloody rip in her long glove.

"How…? It's not possible!"

Foul laughter rent the night, slamming into the wounded Soldier like a crashing wave. The force hammered her into the ground and flipped her across the harsh pavement, drawing long scratches across her arms, legs and face. She tried to cry out, but the sound was lost in the evil storm.

"WE WILL FEAST ON YOU FLESH!"

The sound subsided, leaving Saturn crying weakly in the gutter, face down, shoulders shaking. It took her a long moment to speak through her bloodied lips.

"I will not fail."

"WE WILL DRINK DEEP OF YOUR BLOOD!"

She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, lifting her head. "I will not fail!"

"WE WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!"

"I WILL NOT FAIL!"

Sailor Saturn lunged up, fingers now coated in blood and filth closing around the Silence Glaive. She grasped it with both hands, tipping her head back and bringing the edge of the blade close enough to kiss metal. Her eyes opened, glowing with a fiendish red light. From deep within the sleeping past, words awoke.

"SATURN," she began to spin, moving right into the alley, "SILENT," the glaive slashed out, cutting the darkness, "_REQUIEM!_"

The air exploded out from around her in a silent sonic boom of pure power. Everything quivered, then collapsed back into the vacuum. The energy of the portal twisted helplessly, and began streaming into the Silence Glaive.

The screams of the Abyss were almost unbearable, but Saturn only laughed. Her hair flared, swept forward by the pull of the glaive, the power of Silence burning in her eyes.

"I AM DESTRUCTION!" she screamed into the Abyss. "I WILL CRUSH YOU!"

_FOOL! YOU BELONG TO US NOW!_

The thought ricocheted through her skull, and the Glaive exploded.

Darkness poured through the handle, into her hands, into her heart and soul. She screamed once, felt her body burn, then began to fall. Something caught her under the arms, and the last thing she felt was her body being dragged backwards. Then the Abyss sank claws into her heart, and all that was Tomoe Hotaru faded away.


	26. Chapter 26

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: …and even more serious…_

"Oh, my God! How could we not have noticed?"

Usagi rushed down the stairs, followed by the thunder of nine other pairs of feet. Mamoru, directly behind her, cursed.

"Where would she have gone?" he demanded. "How could she have been foolish enough to have left?"

"How could we have been foolish enough not to see?" Ami shot back. "She thinks she can destroy the portal!"

"But she's just a little girl!" Kunzite cried.

Usagi shook her head wildly. "She's the Soldier of Ruin! She has enough power to destroy a planet! She thinks she can do the same to the portal!"

"But it's not the same thing as a planet!" Zoisite reminded them uselessly, slamming out the door after Usagi. "This is insane!"

"Her attack can drain energy!" Rei explained. "She must think-"

"This thing is more powerful than Pharaoh Ninety-Nine!" Usagi shouted. "She's going to die!"

No one said anything else as they raced out down the street. It was only when they were within a block of the apartment building that Rei suddenly shouted for a halt.

"Why?" Usagi shrieked.

"We need to transform!"

"Oh! Right!"

The Shitennou kept going, Mamoru only pausing for a flicker to become Tuxedo Mask, then racing after them. The Senshi pulled their wands and shouted their planet names. Before the light even faded, they were running again.

_Oh, Hotaru, what were you thinking?_ Sailor Moon pushed herself harder forward. _Please be okay!_

Ahead, she saw the apartment building, and the edge of the alley. Hope flared in her heart as she saw no one there. Then a petite form in a black dress appeared, dragging a limp little body in a child's clothing.

"_IIE!_"

The scream ripped its way out of Sailor Moon's throat, and brought the Creature's head around towards her. Black eyes and blue, in identical faces, locked, and It hissed dangerously.

"Let her go!"

Kunzite lunged forward, blade carving towards Its face, with Venus' chain whipping in from the other side. The Creature sprang straight up, only to be surprised. Expecting Its favorite move, Nephrite caught Jupiter as she leapt into his cupped hands and boosted her into the air. She soared up into a powerful kick, her booted foot cracking against Its face. The monster and child tumbled down; Hotaru into Jadeite's waiting arms, and the Creature into Mars' enraged attack.

"MARS SNAKE FIRE!"

A coiling serpent of flame reared up from gloved hands, and streaked out into Its chest. The enemy staggered back, barely dodging another strike from the living fire. It spun, ducked, and came back up facing Jadeite with a terrible grin.

"Not tonight, thanks."

One hand still held Hotaru, but the other drew his dagger. Prepared for the attack, he flung himself forward, and slashed It across Its pretty face.

A terrible scream erupted as It flung Its hands over the wound. No one paused from pity this time, Tuxedo Mask already flinging the first rose. Three consecutive flowers found their mark, driving It back towards the alley.

"Be careful!" Zoisite shouted. "We don't know what will happen if It is taken back by the Abyss! It could close the portal, or make it worse!"

His words brought the Creature's face up, and everyone froze with shock. Instead of blood, the wounds seeped a white-gold, luminous liquid. It rolled down the pale cheeks and dyed the cuts on in Its dress.

"What the hell?" Jadeite muttered in shock.

"I don't understand," Sailor Moon began, shaking her head. "I thought-"

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!"

It flew at her, claws cleaving the air, aiming for her face. She screamed and dove to the side, rolling across the road as It landed where she had stood.

"Usako!"

Two more roses flew, but It evaded these, leaping towards Jadeite. Sailor Moon raised herself up onto her elbow as something clicked.

"Its after Hotaru!"

"Not gonna happen!" Jupiter snapped. "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

A ball of thunder formed in her hands, then blasted out towards the Creature. It spun away, then prepared to launch Itself at Jadeite again.

"Oh, yeah?" the Senshi of Thunder shouted, enraged. "Dodge this! JUPITER," her hands rose over her head, "EMERALD," green power began to glow between her fingers, "THUNDER," the air crackled, "ONSLAUGHT!"

Eight brilliant green thunder bolts exploded from the sky, slamming down two at a time in a corridor before Jupiter. The last pair smashed down into the Creature, making Its body arch as It shrieked.

"MARS," the Senshi of Fire's hands cupped in front of her body, "PURIFYING," a bonfire shot to life, and she thrust it towards the sky, "INFERNO!"

Red flames blasted from her hands, into the Creature's scarred face. Not even a scream came from It as the wave of fire lifted It off Its feet and flung it backwards.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars snarled through her teeth. "See if you can't finish this thing off!"

But her Princess barely opened her lips before It turned, and disappeared into the shadows.

"I _hate_ when enemies do that!" Venus muttered, stomping her foot.

Kunzite put a soothing hand on her shoulder. "We'll have another chance at it, I'm sure."

"See!" Nephrite shouted, catching everyone's attention as he pointed to a very surprised Jupiter. " 'Emerald Thunder!' _That's_ why I call her that!"

"Call me what?"

"Hotaru!" Sailor Moon ran to Jadeite. "Is she…?"

"She's breathing," Jadeite reassured her. "I think she was just knocked around a bit. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

Haruka stumbled down the steps of the apartment building, Setsuna leaning in the doorway behind her.

"Where were _you_?" Jadeite shouted back. "How could you miss all that?"

She passed a hand over her eyes, and groaned. "I think…we were drugged. I can't wake Michiru up. But who would?"

"Hotaru," Mercury explained. "She was trying to face the Abyss alone."

"Oh, baby!" Haruka took her from Jadeite, looking into her pale face. "Is she alright?"

As if in answer, a little moan came from Hotaru. Her head moved against Haruka's shoulder, and her eyes opened. She stared up at the older girl for a blank moment, then smiled.

"Haruka-papa."

"Oh, sweetheart! What were you thinking?"

"_Gomen,_ Haruka-papa," she said in a strangely calm voice. "I thought I could defeat the Abyss alone. I was very wrong."

"Hotaru, we promised to fight together!" Sailor Moon reminded her tearfully. "_You_ promised!"

The little face turned towards the upset blonde, and regarded her silently for an unsettling moment. Then, again, she smiled.

"Usagi. _Gomen._ I did not mean to frighten you. Please forgive me."

A little laugh came from Sailor Moon, and she wiped her eyes. "It's alright. Just don't do it again."

The same little smile curved Hotaru's lips. "I promise."


	27. Chapter 27

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Special thanks this time go to cardcaptor eternity (Hotaru abuse has, unfortunately, just begun) Relyan ( I hadn't really thought of the Creature as like the Phantom… Hmm…And you're right, It needs more help than destroying. As for General/Senshi togetherness, that gets better in this chapter. Hehe) Lokileysmith (poor Hotaru, she meant well) and, once again, to Lysia Croft for keeping me going._

_Just a little interlude, using another image song. This time it's Rei's _Fire Soul Love_ from the second season. It fits perfectly. I don't know why I'm using so many songs lately, though…_

Rei yawned and stretched, then opened her eyes.

"Where in all the solar system…?"

"Sh. Go back to sleep."

"Okay."

She let her head fall back onto the warm shoulder, her nose wrinkling playfully as soft hair tickled her face. Inhaling the sweet scent of her "pillow", she felt sleep begin to reclaim her. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his chest with a contented sigh.

Then she froze.

"Wait a minute."

She sat up sharply, and turned to glare down at a very confused and sleepy Jadeite, who squinted back at her in askance.

"Wha's the matter?" he muttered groggily.

"_Baka! Hentai!_"

"Lunatic!"

He lurched of the couch, warding her off with a spare pillow. "What are you doing?"

"What am _I_ doing? What are _you_ doing? You keep your hands off me!"

"Hey!" Jadeite held up an angry finger. "I fell asleep on this couch first!"

"Couch?"

"Couch, you nutcase! Look! We're in the Prince's apartment!"

Rei's head whipped left, then right. _"What am I doing here?"_

"I would _guess_ that you fell asleep here after our fight with that…thing. I don't know! I passed out as soon as I was sure the little girl was okay!" He tossed his shield/pillow back onto the couch, and rubbed his forehead. "And could you take the shrieks down a couple decibels? I prefer not to have my eardrums burst until _after_ noon."

"Oh, gods! Hotaru!" Rei put her face into her hands and groaned. "That little… I hope she really is okay. Why wouldn't she let Usagi heal her last night?"

"She thought it wasn't worth expending the power," Jadeite reminded her, collapsing gracelessly into the opposite corner of the couch once again. "After all, they were only a couple scrapes and bruises. It could have been a lot worse."

Rei shuddered. "I know."

"Ah, hell! _Gomen._ I didn't mean to upset you."

"Like you could!"

She leapt up and began to pace around the room. Now that she thought about it, she _did_ remember sitting on the couch beside Jadeite's sleeping figure, and promising herself she would only close her eyes for a moment…

"My grandfather is probably wondering where I am. Speaking of which, where is everyone else?"

Jadeite craned his neck around curiously. "Huh. Good question."

"Well, I try not to ask stupid questions."

"Alright, if you're so smart, why don't you check the note not two feet from you, on the table?"

Resisting the impulse to growl, Rei leaned over and snatched the piece of paper up. Written in a neat hand was a short message,

"Rei and Jadeite,

"The other girls went home. You were sleeping so deep we didn't want to wake you. Usagi called your grandpa and told him you were spending the night, so you're not in trouble. Kunzite and I are going to talk to one of my Professors. Zoisite and Nephrite went to the grocery store. We'll be back soon.

"Mamoru"

Rei's eyes narrowed as she saw something at the bottom.

"P.S. Don't kill each other."

"Well?" Jadeite asked around a yawn.

"Read for yourself," Rei told him, handing him the letter. "What time is it? I have to go home."

"What's the rush? Your grandfather thinks you're perfectly safe with the Princess. Relax."

Straightening her hair, Rei looked anxiously around for her shoes. _I'm alone, in an apartment with Jadeite, who looks absolutely…arrogant! And bad! Very bad!_

"I gotta go!"

"Oh, come on. It's only… eleven." He stood up and stretched. "You're always in such a rush! Sit down."

Without any explanation, he turned and headed for the kitchen.

"Wait!" Rei called. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to make breakfast."

"_Nani?_"

She rushed after him, her face flushing, her emotions in a tangle. "But… Zoisite and Nephrite had to buy groceries!"

"That's alright, I'll figure something out."

Rei looked desperately from him to the door as he opened the refrigerator. "I'm not hungry, so-"

"You haven't eaten in over twelve hours," Jadeite said, holding up a carton of eggs. "Come on, I make a great omelet."

He was being kind, jocular, almost silly. It seemed so nice, like it used to be…

…_Love that's extreme is OK with me…  
…I don't like sweet words! …_

Feeling the situation spiraling out of her control, Rei fell back on her favorite weapon: anger.

… _I remember in a dream from before…  
…Pupils burning the message "Go Mad Love"…_

"You can't even cook!"

He looked up at her with a reassuring smile. "Sure I can!"

"What, Beryl made all her henchmen train as five star chefs?"

That did it. Jadeite's smile turned into a glare. "Don't start."

…_A scar from the past aches…  
…When time passes, it fades…_

"I didn't realize the duties of a Negaverse General included making the Queen breakfast."

"Mars…"

"Did she come down to the table, or did you serve it to her in bed?"

"For the love of Sol!" He tossed the eggs none too gently onto the counter. "You know damn well I could cook long before Beryl! And-"

"I know nothing about you!"

"AND!" he shouted, "if you weren't so _damn stubborn_ and would stop trying to keep me as the enemy, you would remember that!"

…_I'm not used to living a lie…  
…It's breaking the body! "Go For Break"…_

"Don't!" Rei yelled.

"Don't what?"

"Don't talk like you know me!" she snarled. "Don't talk like you know the _first thing_ about me!"

"But I do." Jadeite took two steps closer, putting him into dangerous proximity. "I know plenty about you."

…_My necklace came off in the city…  
…I wasn't alone when I lost it…_

"Like what?"

They had gone from screaming to whispering in record time. Rei had to tip her head back to look him in the eye. It would have been easier to step back, but she refused to retreat.

…_Throwing off my decorated clothes…  
…I give a graceful "Fighting pose to you"…_

"I know that if I do this," Jadeite put his hand on her hip, then slid it around to rest at the small of her back, "your heart starts to race."

Rei could not argue with him as her pulse thundered in her throat. But she was never one to back down from a challenge, so instead, she smiled up at him.

"Yes, but _I_ know what happens if _I_ do this."

She trailed her fingers slowly up his spine, a feather touch brushing the back of his neck and raising goosebumps. From deep in his throat, he gave a little groan. She ended by twirling a lock of golden hair around one finger.

"Hmm. I was right."

"Fair enough, m'lady. But then _I_ know what happens when _I_ do this."

Rei had neither a chance, nor a desire, to move as Jadeite dipped his face close to hers. She tensed in his arms and gasped when his mouth found that most tender spot, just behind her ear. Her grip tightened in his hair as he played across her flesh with lips and tongue. But she moaned with disappointment when he withdrew.

"_Hai._ I was right."

Chuckling throatily, Rei caressed his cheek with one hand. "I think we both know what happens when I…do…_this._"

_…Fire Soul Bird In Love… _

…_Fire Soul Bird In Love…_

…_Stand up! Oh oh oh…_

She guided his face to hers, and kissed him slowly on his lips. He hesitated, unsure, his green eyes studying hers intently. Her smile was all the answer he needed.

…_Fire Soul Bird In Love… _

…_Fire Soul Bird In Love…  
…I'm looking for tomorrow! …_

…_I love passion…_

In the second kiss, Jadeite's lips almost crushed hers. She clung to him with an aching hunger she could no longer fight, and no longer wanted to. Several stumbling steps and her back hit the refrigerator. He caught her under her arms, pulling her up to a more convenient height. His body, heavy against hers, held her against the cold metal as his fingers tangled in her hair.

"Oh," she whispered, her head falling back so he could cover her throat with kisses. "Jadeite."

"Mars," he moaned into her skin, his teeth scraping the hollow of her throat. "Rei. I love you."

"Say it again," she begged shamelessly. "Say it a thousand times. I want to hear you."

"I love you, I love you-"

She caught his face, dragging it back to hers, and whispered, "Never mind. Shut up and kiss me."

…_I desire stimulation with love…  
…I'll forget all those pretty words…  
…Holding a dream with this hand…  
…Making my heart boil "Go Mad Love"…_

Jadeite obliged, stealing her breath and demanding more. A single tear rolled down her cheek until he caught it with a flick of his tongue. Her hands slid up his back, under his shirt, and her nails dug into his shoulders.

"My Jadeite."

…_Fire Soul Bird In Love…_

…_Fire Soul Bird In Love…  
…I'm looking for tomorrow! …_

…_I love passion…_

The door opened.

Rei shoved Jadeite back, her feet hitting the floor as his back hit the counter. Usagi, Makoto, Ami, Minako, and Luna entered, looking first around the living room. Their momentary distraction bought enough time for Rei to straighten her hair, and Jadeite his shirt.

"Guys?" Makoto called in a mystified voice.

"Hi!" Rei chirped in an overly bright voice, stepping out of the kitchen.

The four girls and one cat looked at her, out of breath, and Jadeite stumbling from the kitchen beside her. Five sets of eyebrows rose.

Jadeite smiled. "Who's hungry?"


	28. Chapter 28

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Is it just me, or do I have more and more people to thank every time? I love you guys! This time, special love goes out to v1786 (for taking the time to review such a tiny, pointless chapter) Lokileysmith (just because Jadeite got lucky once doesn't mean she won't nail him next time!) Very special thanks go to two people. First, to Lysia Croft for being the most constant reviewer and support. Kisses, girl! Second, to my never-ending source of sanity, aiisha. Everyone stop by and check out their stories. Aiisha just put up her first, called _Sara's Journey,_ focusing on one of the greatest characters in Ragnarok, and she needs some more reviews!_

"Are you hungry, Hotaru?"

Setsuna watched her "daughter" through worried eyes. They had been walking along the sidewalk, but now the young girl stood strangely still, watching a playground of children across the street. She did not seem to hear her guardian's words.

"Hotaru? Do you want something for lunch?"

In the playground, one of the children, a little girl with curly pigtails, chased a boy around a slide, both giggling. Hotaru watched them, her eyes narrowed intently.

"Hotaru!"

Her head snapped around, and Setsuna blinked in surprise. For a moment that young face seemed so lined with deep hate it should belong to someone else, a stranger. But it cleared so fast that Setsuna wondered if she had seen it at all. In the place of that frightening mask, Hotaru smiled sweetly.

"_Hai,_ Setsuna-mama?"

"What's the matter with you, sweetheart? Are you feeling alright?"

"Of course," she said in an innocent voice. "I was just watching those children. They look so…"

Her voice trailed off, her eyes again riveted on the pair playing. Setsuna frowned and watched as well for a moment, when inspiration struck her.

"Oh, I see! She reminds you of Small Lady, doesn't she?"

"_Nani?_"

"Chibiusa."

The girl caught the little boy in a hug, and kissed his cheek. He shouted a protest.

"Chibiusa," Hotaru muttered slowly, as though tasting the name. "_Hai_… That child would remind _her_ of Chibiusa…"

Setsuna felt her alarm growing. Attempting to distract her, she asked, "Hotaru, aren't you hungry?"

"I'm always hungry."

"Well, what would you like to eat? We could get pizza, or a hamburger if you've had enough pizza recently. Or maybe a-"

Hotaru's sharp intake of breath froze the words on Setsuna's lips.

Across the street, the little girl fell to her knees. She burst out crying, and a woman ran to her, picking her gently up. A trickle of blood ran down her scraped knee.

"Poor thing," Setsuna murmured, turning again to Hotaru.

Instead of looking concerned, or pitying, Hotaru wore a tiny smile. Watching the mother wipe away the blood, she licked her lips slowly, her eyes alighting with some alien emotion that frightened Setsuna.

Then she turned those purple eyes up to the older woman. "Is something wrong, Mama?"

"What were you thinking, just now?" Setsuna asked.

"I was thinking of Chibiusa," Hotaru explained, her smile widening. "Imaging if she had been the one to fall… the one to bleed."

"That would make you happy?"

"The thought of Chibiusa always makes me happy." She looked once more to the child. "I'd love to see her again."

"Well, that won't be for some time. She needs to be in Crystal Tokyo with her parents. She doesn't belong here. She belongs to the future." Setsuna smiled. "But once the Princess and Prince raise Crystal Tokyo, and become Queen and King, we'll see her again."

"Crystal Tokyo… a thousand years from now… that's a long time, for a human."

"We seem to keep ourselves busy," Setsuna reminded her wryly. "Come on, you said you were hungry. Do you know what you want to eat?"

"_Hai,_" Hotaru muttered longingly, watching the little girl being carried away. "But I suppose I'll settle for a hamburger."

They started walking again, and Hotaru asked, "Where are Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa?"

"At home. They needed a little time to themselves. We've been running around so much recently they haven't had much time alone."

"So at the first convenient moment, they push us out the door."

"Now Hotaru, you know that's not true! Haruka and Michiru were worried to death about you all last night. That was a terrible thing you did!"

"I know. I was no match for the Abyss. Nothing is."

Setsuna put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't be silly. We'll find some way of stopping this thing. After meeting Chibiusa, we know the future is beautiful."

"But in that future you never saw any Shitennou," Hotaru reminded her. "The destiny of Earth has been turned around. And maybe that is for the best."

"What do you mean?" Setsuna asked cautiously.

"Don't you ever think things could be different?" Deep, fathomless eyes rose tohersand snagged her like a hook. Setsuna stopped dead, unable to move. She felt strange, helpless, like she was sinking into those eyes, and Hotaru's voice was a stone around her ankles.

"Don't you ever think things could be better?" that heavy voice whispered. "What makes her the Princess? What is it about her that makes her the one to be Queen?"

"She is the heir to the Silver Millennium."

"The Silver Millennium?" Deep in her skull, a laugh rumbled. "A failed experiment in the foolishness of compassion. The _heir_ brought its downfall."

"_Iie…_"

"_She_ is responsible."

"_Iie…_"

"_She_ is the reason so many died, the reason peace failed."

"_Iie…_"

"If _she_ had obeyed the laws, none of it would have happened. _She_ defied the gods, and played at love for _her_ own amusement. Did _she_ think of anyone else?"

Setsuna could not move her lips to answer. The world had narrowed, become a tunnel of pointless sound and movement leading into those terrible eyes. How had she never noticed before how incredibly dark they were?

"Everything is changing, Time Keeper. Changing for the better, isn't it? Why should the world be shackled to the weakness of a royal line incapable of protecting it? Queen Serenity failed, and her daughter will do the same in the end.

"You are sworn to protect this world, Time Keeper, sworn to protect this entire solar system. Do not be bound by anything as destructive as _loyalty_ to the _weak._ Why should you sacrifice everything to protect a Princess so bent on her own self-destruction, and with her the destruction of everything else?

"Save those you can, and annihilate those who stand in the way. Finish her, become a _true_ Queen, and take _your_ husband, _your_ daughter."

"I…" Setsuna tried to tear her eyes away. "_Iie_… I love her, too…"

"Love is a weakness you cannot afford. Think, Time Keeper. You must protect this world, no matter the cost to yourself. Take her man, and take her out of this world's misery.

"It is for the good of all. Only you can do this. Remember, Time Keeper."

A cold wind rushed through her hair. Setsuna shuddered, and staggered back, confused.

"Setsuna-mama? Are you alright?"

The world felt strange, like it had tipped on its axis. A little hand held hers. She looked down at Hotaru, and smiled wanly.

"_Hai,_ I just… did you same something?"

"Me? No, mama, why?"

"I thought… what were we talking about?"

"Getting lunch. Are you still hungry?"

Setsuna gave a distracted nod. "I think so. What did you want?"

"I don't think you're feeling well, Mama. We should go back to Mamoru's apartment, don't you think?" Hotaru asked in a concerned voice.

"Mamoru… _hai,_ lets go."

Setsuna squared her shoulders, a look of pained resignation in her face. "It's for the best."

Trailing behind her, Hotaru giggled.


	29. Chapter 29

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

"Food!"

The Inner Senshi, having managed to cram all five girls onto one couch, tried to leap up, but ended by falling back down in a tangle.

"Ah, a study in grace and elegance," Jadeite noted, watching with a grin.

"You could help," Rei growled from underneath Usagi's arm.

"And stop the entertainment so soon?"

"Hang on, ladies."

Nephrite set down his bags, then went to the couch. He caught Ami around the waist, lifting her easily into the air. She giggled as he turned and handed her to Zoisite, who accepted the burden with a grin. Next he caught up a laughing Minako and placed her on her feet beside him. Rei, passed into Jadeite's hands, grumbled and tried not to smile. Usagi squealed playfully in her turn. Makoto shouted as he swept her off the couch, into his arms. He held her just above the ground, and she swung her feet.

"Put me down!"

"Say please!"

"Nephrite!" Makoto laughed. "Seriously!"

"We need to put these groceries away," Zoisite reminded them, apparently unaware his hand still rested on Ami's waist. "The ice cream is melting."

"Ice cream!" Usagi cheered. "What kind?"

"If Nephrite had his way, I'll bet every kind," Makoto said teasingly.

"Wicked one!"

He tossed her effortlessly into the air. She shrieked, catching him around the neck as he caught her under her knees. Everyone else laughed as he dipped her over until she was almost upside down, her hair brushing the floor.

"Say you're sorry!"

"Never!" she cried.

"Say you're sorry," he commanded her again, "or I'll keep you like this!"

"Ha! You can't hold me like this forever!" Makoto shot back.

"Wanna bet?"

"I'm too big! You're arms are going to get tired!"

"Oh, please. You're light as a feather! You should try carrying Jadeite some time."

"Hey!" his friend shouted.

"Why was he carrying you?" Rei asked in an amused voice.

"Probably when some crazed woman tried to kill me. Again."

"Nephrite!" Makoto yelped. "The blood is rushing to my head!"

"Say you're sorry!"

"_IIE!_"

"Say it!"

"I'm getting a headache!"

"Oh, alright."

Nephrite flipped her back into an upright position, and let her feet down. Giggling, Makoto took a dizzy step back and almost tripped.

"_Kyah!_"

She grabbed onto Nephrite's shoulders, and he put a steadying arm around her.

"Easy there, love!"

Both froze, Makoto looking hard into those gleaming dark eyes. He seemed equally surprised by his own words, for he dropped his gaze, his face confused. He did not let her go, though.

"Alrighty, folks, show's over!" Jadeite announced, seizing up a bag. "Let's put this stuff away. For the love of Sol, Nephrite, you _did_ buy every flavor!"

"Not every flavor," the other man grumbled, smiling. "Just half of them."

"Oh, that's much better," Rei noted, leaning over to look into another bag. "Ooh! Black forest, Mako-chan!"

"My favorite!" Makoto replied, her cheerfulness a little forced as she stepped away from Nephrite's arms.

"That's what started Nephrite on his ice cream binge," Zoisite called from the kitchen. "He insisted we get that one, and then he saw another, and another. I thought I was going to have to call for backup to get him out of the frozen foods."

"Black forest is your favorite, too?" Ami asked, coming back into the room for another bag.

"Er, no." Nephrite shrugged. "It was the only ice cream I could remember anyone ordering the other day."

"But only Mako-chan orders th- Ow!"

Usagi looked at Rei in hurt confusion. "You stomped on my foot!"

"No, I didn't," her friend hissed back. "Your foot was in the way!"

"It was not! You-"

"Usagi, shut up!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"Nice to come home to a little peace and quiet."

Mamoru and Kunzite closed the door behind them, both grinning. "So, what did we miss?" the silver haired man added.

"Oh, nothing much," Makoto said airily. "Nephrite just bought a ton of ice cream."

"You and ice cream, Jadeite and soda pop," Kunzite listed off, "and Zoisite and bubble gum."

"Bubble gum?" Ami cried out in surprise. "Really?"

"But it's fun!" Zoisite came back in, his face defiant. "You can blow bubbles, and it's sweet!"

"Just like Ami," Jadeite offered helpfully.

"_Hai,_" Zoisite agreed. "Wait, no! I mean, you do blow bubbles, and you are sweet, but that's not… I didn't…"

"That's alright!" Ami said in the same embarrassed tone. "I understand… I don't, really, but you don't have to explain!"

"I didn't mean-"

"Are you satisfied?" Rei demanded.

Jadeite grinned as the pair bumbled along, becoming more confused and mortified with every word. "Actually, I am."

"You're terrible. Here." She dumped a heavy bag into his arms. "Take this into the kitchen."

"Of course, m'lady."

He gave her a mocking bow, and headed into the kitchen.

"What was that?" Kunzite demanded. "No yelling, no fighting, no kicking? We must have missed something, after all."

Minako smiled, raising up on her toes and putting a hand on his shoulder. He immediately bent down so she could put her lips close to his ear. "We don't have any proof, but…"

However she finished the sentence, Kunzite burst out laughing. The others gave them arch, knowing looks, and continued what they were doing.

"_Konichiwa, minna._"

Setsuna and Hotaru came in, looking around curiously.

"Oh, hi you two!" Usagi called, coming back in. "Hotaru, how are you?"

"Much better. _Arigatou,_ princess."

"You don't usually call me that."

"Of course. _Gomen,_ Usagi."

"Setsuna? Are you feeling alright?"

Mamoru put out a hand to steady the tall girl. She smiled at him warmly. "I just felt a little dizzy before. I'm alright, Mamo-chan."

"_Nani?_" Usagi spun around, blue eyes sparking dangerously. "What did you call him?"

"What did you call me?" Mamoru seconded, alarmed.

"Mamoru-san."

"Oh!" Usagi smiled again. "Sit down, and we'll get you some ice cream! We have plenty."

Setsuna stepped away from Mamoru, and touched Usagi's hair gently. "You are so very sweet."

"_Ano_…" Usagi gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure you're alright, Setsuna?"

"_Hai,_" she said in a sad voice. "Everything is going to be alright."

"That's good to hear," Makoto said in a soothing voice, as though Setsuna were a little _kichigai._ "Have a seat."

As everyone turned their attention over to Setsuna's wellbeing, Hotaru moved close to Minako. "You and Kunzite looked like you were having fun."

"Oh!" She smiled and blushed. "Well, he was just asking about Jadeite and Rei. They haven't really fought all day, and we think, well, you know."

"That's wonderful! You two seem so happy together." Hotaru touched her hand, then frowned. "I'm sure he can't hurt you now."

"Why would he?" Minako asked in surprise.

"He has before. But just because the Abyss is even more powerful than Queen Metalia doesn't mean he'll betray you again." Hotaru smiled again, squeezed her hand, and walked away.

"Here, Setsuna!" Mamoru came out of the kitchen. "Chocolate mint. That's your favorite, isn't it?"

Setsuna reached for the bowl, her smile warm. "You remembered."

"Mamoru remembers everything important," Usagi boasted, looking up at him meltingly. "Isn't he wonderful?"

Setsuna nodded. "He is."


	30. Chapter 30

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

"Mmmm," Michiru murmured, giving a lazy grin. "I'm all sleepy again."

"Oh, no you don't." She felt the weight on her back shift as she giggled. Haruka's hands dug deeper into her flesh, massaging between her shoulders where violinist tended to be tense. "Don't you dare fall asleep."

"Oh, but I just can't keep my eyes open." She stretched and yawned like a very content cat. "Just a little nap… Oh!"

Haruka released her earlobe from her teeth. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Why? What will you give me?"

Soft breath brushed against her ear, and she burst into another peal of giggles. "Haruka!"

She rolled, oversetting her lover and knocking her aside. Haruka fell, laughing, onto the bed beside her.

"You are awful!" Michiru shrieked, beginning to pummel her with a pillow.

"That's not what you said fifteen minutes ago," Haruka shot back, trying to catch her wrist. "Stop!"

"That's not what you said fifteen minutes ago," Michiru parroted, before tossing the pillow aside. She inched across the mattress on her elbows to lay her head on Haruka's chest. "This was a _really_ good idea."

"Agreed." Long, tan fingers combed through tussled aquamarine hair. "We still have an hour before we're supposed to join the others…"

"Haruka," Michiru began in a warning tone.

"And we won't get a chance like this again in a while…"

"Don't even think it! We should probably shower before we meet up with the others." Michiru wrinkled her nose playfully. "You're all sweaty, you know."

"_You,_ on the other hand, look amazing."

"Nice try, but I know you, Ten'ou Haruka," Michiru interrupted. "If we start something right now, you won't give a damn about the time, and then we'll be late, and the girls will send a search party, and I'd like to maintain their innocence a little while longer, so don't get any funny ideas, 'cause I'm getting in the shower."

"Wait!" Haruka caught her arm as she tried to rise. "What about naptime?"

Michiru gave her a sideways look. "Can I trust you to behave yourself?"

"Not in the least."

"Then no!"

Trying unsuccessfully to hide a grin, Michiru rolled off the bed. She slipped her robe around her shoulders, her cheeks reddening as she felt Haruka's rakish gaze following the lines of her body through the thin silk. Still, she couldn't resist swinging her hips a little as she padded away towards the bathroom.

"Can I at least watch?" Haruka called plaintively.

Michiru did not even deign to answer, rolling her eyes and laughing silently. _She really is terrible._

_She's also the best thing that ever happened to me,_ her heart whispered. _What would I do without her? Could I even survive?_

The whole day when Haruka had hardly spoken to her had been one of the longest, loneliest of her life. If it had been longer, Michiru felt sure her heart would have broken.

Tossing the robe aside, she looked in the mirror and winced, then smiled, at a kiss mark on her thigh. "I suppose I don't have to worry about that _now._"

"Michiru, you locked the door!"

"You _said_ I couldn't trust you!" she called back, starting the water. "And apparently I was justified!"

"You're a tease!"

"_You're_ insatiable!"

"But don't you love trying?"

Closing her eyes, Michiru shook her head. "Haruka, give me fifteen minutes and you can have the bathroom. For now, go down and make us some coffee."

She heard the other woman begin to walk away, grumbling, "Like she's ever been ready in fifteen minutes."

Seeing no reason to prove her wrong, Michiru left the bathroom in a cloud of steam forty minutes later, securing her headband. "It's all yours!"

"Now I have ten minutes, and probably no hot water!" Haruka wailed.

Michiru took the cup of coffee from her, and kissed her cheek. "Hurry, or we'll be late."

Haruka dashed past her, and Michiru watched her run by, sleek and naked, until she slammed the door. Chuckling to herself, she took the cup and headed downstairs.

She walked through the living room, flipping the music from Haruka's pop CD to her own classical. Sipping her coffee, she walked into the kitchen, scanning for a piece of fruit to eat quickly.

_Haruka makes the world's greatest coffee_, she mused, taking another deep drink.

A hand grabbed her from behind.

"Gah!"

Spraying coffee onto the refrigerator door, Michiru doubled over into a coughing fit. It took her several moments to clear her breathing passage of searing hot liquid, and several more before she could gulp in enough oxygen to straighten up and look behind her.

"Hotaru! What are you doing here?"

"_Gomen,_ Mama!" the young girl cried, stricken. "I know you and Haruka-papa wanted to be alone. I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, no, sweetheart!" Michiru set her cup aside, coughed again, then bent down to Hotaru's level. "You just surprised me! I thought you were with everyone else!"

"Setsuna-mama wasn't feeling well, but Mamoru doesn't have anything for stomachs, and we do, so I said I'd come and get some." Hotaru stared at her with a trembling chin. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I know you don't get Haruka-papa to yourself often."

Michiru shrugged a little, embarrassed. "Maybe not recently, but once things calm down a bit-"

"I mean, I know she's always so busy with her car, or, well…" Hotaru shrugged guiltily. "I love Papa, I do, but sometimes it just makes me a little sad for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Just the way she's always talking to other pretty girls. Doesn't she know she has the prettiest girl of all?"

"Oh, sweetheart!" Michiru laughed. "Papa's always been a bit of a flirt. I know she loves me."

"Good!" Hotaru sighed. "You know so much more about her than I do."

"We've been together a long time," Michiru reminded her, rising and turning to the sink for a cloth.

"And in all that time, she's never once given you reason to doubt her?"

She paused, the rag hanging limply in her hand. "Everyone doubts sometimes…"

"Haruka never doubts _you_. Why should she? _You've_ never given her reason to wonder, have you?"

Michiru's hand fell heavily back into the sink. Her whole body felt strange, almost like her mind was drifting just above and to the side, not quite connecting. The textured paint on the cupboard seemed to dance in the yellow light.

"I trust Haruka…"

"Of course you do. You _love_ her. You _want_ to trust her. But should you?"

Her breathing quickened, her heart slamming into her ribs. Something seemed to be very wrong. "Hotaru…"

"Watch her, Neptune. You have eyes only for her, but you lover can't keep her eyes to herself. So what's to stop her hands from following her eyes?"

The paint began to spin, to swirl into shapes, almost like human forms. Michiru swayed a little, watching.

"She love's me…"

"What does _love _mean to her? Doesn't she _love_ to play with the others, making them blush, making them giggle? Doesn't she _love_ to show off, to prove how many girls she could have? She could have almost anyone. What's to stop her?"

The room had gone black. She saw only the glowing figures before her eyes, twisting together, writhing in pain or passion.

"She wouldn't…"

"Why not, when you've been so obligingly blind?"

A hundred women writhing together, caressing each other, devouring each other…

"She couldn't…"

"Why not, when you've made it so very _easy_ for her? Think, Neptune. What are you to her, really? Another pretty face? Another _easy_ conquest?"

"I… I just…"

Haruka's face on the figure in the center, her lips red as she feasted on so much succulent flesh…

"It's not true…"

"Remember the truth I have told you, Neptune." A hand pressed hard into the small of her back. "_Remember!_"

"Michiru, love, have you seen my black pants?"

Her whipped around at the sound of Haruka's voice.

"_Nani?_" she called back in dazed confusion.

"My black pants!"

Michiru threw the rag down. "How the hell should I know?"

A long moment of silence, then, "Never mind, I found them."

"She didn't even hear me," she growled.

"Michiru-mama, is something wrong?"

Hotaru stared up at her with dark violet eyes full of innocent wonder.

"Oh… nothing, sweetheart. You said Setsuna wasn't feeling well?"

"Whose not feeling well?" Haruka walked in smiling, straightening her shirt. "Hotaru! What are you doing here?"

"Setsuna-mama needs some medicine for her stomach, and Mamoru didn't have any," she explained simply.

"Ah. Well, here we go." Haruka pulled the pink bottle out of the cupboard, and handed it over to Hotaru.

"_Arigatou,_ Papa."

"Anything for my favorite girls."

Michiru slammed her coffee cup into the sink, making her partner jump. "I thought I was your favorite girl."

Haruka laughed, brushing her hair off her shoulder. "Can't you share me with Hotaru and Setsuna?"

Angrily brushing her aside, Michiru growled, "Whatever. Come on, Hotaru, we're going to be late."

"Michiru!" Haruka caught her arm and pulled her back. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with _me._"

"Are you implying something is wrong with me?" Haruka asked.

"I am not your mother, I don't have to stand here and spell it out for you! If you can't understand my feelings, that's your own problem!"

Turning, she marched out of the room, leaving her lover standing there in utter confusion.


	31. Chapter 31

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: We're nearing the end, folks, and things are going to get worse before they get better. Thanks go to Lokileysmith, who has a great appreciation for the art of subtlety,__carcaptoreternity, for all the support, Lysia Croft, if you stick out the darkness I think the end will make you happy you did, and, of course, my girl aiisha for being my sounding board and support. Just a hint: everyone read close in the next few chapters. I have _not _made pronoun mistakes, the metaphors are meaningful, and Hotaru lets a couple things slip. __This chapter is done from the point of view of the Abyss inside Hotaru, so I hope it isn't too confusing. (Wow, that was a long author's note.)_

"AH!"

The blue-haired girl wavered on the very edge of the counter, arms pinwheeling wildly. For a moment gravity won, and she began to fall backwards. Small, childish lips turned up in a smile. The floor was hard. Her blue head might crack, and spill all that delicious red across the glaringly white tile.

_And I can drink deep…_

"Gotcha!"

The tall, powerful thunder warrior lunged across the room, arms out. The smile turned into a sneer as the child of water tumbled painlessly into her friend's arms.

"Ami! Are you alright?"

Fire and passion scurried across the room to hover over the unfortunately uninjured one with sickening concern.

"Hehe! I'm okay! _Arigato, _Mako-chan!"

Voices from the living room made the child's head turn quickly. The five men were sitting together, talking casually. The bonds between them were growing stronger every time one made the others laugh.

Something would have to be done.

The female lovers were sitting on opposite ends of the room, fragile ocean refusing to look away from the Time Keeper, whom she was talking to The wind soldier kept staring at her with a worried frown. As enjoyable as their torment was, that game would have to be finished before it could be truly savored.

The Time Keeper spoke halfheartedly to her companion, her garnet eyes straying more often than not to her beloved _prince._ Envy, lust, and disappointment should have made her an easier target. She should have buckled, thrown loyalty to the wind, and rushed to destroy the one who stood in the way of her happiness. Instead, it had taken every ounce of persuasion to convince her it was an act of mercy.

_They are a strong willed lot, aren't they?_

_She_ came from the other room with a little smile on her face, and she made the child's mouth water. Blue eyes so clear, face so gentle, everything so _pure._ _She_ was the reason the others were being so _damned difficult!_ _She_ would not give in to envy, hate, fear, despair… All the usual weapons melted on contact with that gentle gaze.

But even stars fell to darkness in the end, and through their death throes, the Abyss could draw everything, screaming, into its ravenous jaws.

Only two things could prevent it from doing so here. These _soldiers,_ and the one that had escaped. But the Abyss could control the escaped through terror, and these thirteen would be powerless without each other. The fools did not even know they had already lost one of their own.

So, all that needed to be done was rend their little _family_ apart, and shred their tender _feelings_. Unfortunately time was of the essence. If they discovered the deception or, somehow, how to restore order, this delectable treat called Earth might be snatched from the Abyss. The child, now nothing but an extension of the darkness, would have to work fast.

"Hotaru! Will you help us carry the tea into the other room, please?"

Golden passion stood with a friendly smile just behind her. Violet eyes had to be fixed into an innocent expression, and the child's own smile had to become something kind. Kindness was not the Abyss' forte, but it could make a passable attempt if necessary.

"Of course, Minako!"

She followed the taller form back into the kitchen, and relished the stupidity with which these succulent fools gave her an opportunity.

"What are the boys all talking about?" blue water asked, counting the cups on the tray.

Red fire laughed, handing her two more. "We're probably happiest not knowing."

"Is that the way with boys?" the child asked naively.

"Sometimes," green thunder told her, giggling. "Sometimes boys just need to be away from us girls. Its good Mamoru finally has someone to talk to, you know?"

"Everyone seems so happy!" the child noted, forcing a giggle. "Is this what it used to be like?"

"You mean, in the Silver Millennium?" Water paused, gazing blindly at the cup in her hand. "_Hai._ For a little while."

"It was all so sudden," passion added, smiling with a little sadness. "We all just tumbled into each others' lives, and then…"

"It was all over," thunder finished softly.

"But when we were in love," fire whispered, "it was so very, very _sweet._"

The child touched passion's hand, looking around at all the others. They were poised in their poignant memories, sorrow and joy rivaling for their hearts. Now, to remind them of what had gone wrong.

"It must have been very hard when they…"

All four paused, smiles fading. The sorrow, the pain, her most potent weapons, came so easily. Emerald green eyes flashed with the despair of abandonment. Flaming purple eyes glowed with the rage of betrayal. Longing flowed into liquid cerulean eyes, quivering with tears. Brilliant blue dimmed with loneliness.

"It hurt, didn't it? How could they? They betrayed you, razed your palace and burned your loved ones to ashes. All the beauty, all the joy, everything you shared, gone in a bath of blood, as though it meant nothing to them."

"It wasn't-"

She cut water off quickly. "They fell so _easily_ to evil's urging. Shouldn't their _love_ have strengthened them? Shouldn't _you_ have been the one to hold their hearts?

"They slipped through your fingers, leaving only a bloodstain and a tattered heart in their wake."

Her stare caught the burning gaze, held it. "Why should you forgive him?"

The lightning eyes tried to pull away, only to be trapped viciously. "Why should you care what happens to him?"

Cerulean eyes soaked up her words. "Why should you trust him?"

Blue eyes wavered. "Why should you believe in him?"

She had them, all of them.

_"Why should you lo-"_

"Hey, ladies! Everything okay in here?"

Four heads jerked, and the spell was broken.

Rage threatened to rip the tiny body to bits, but she stood perfectly still, reining it back under control. She even managed a smile as she turned to the interfering prince, never letting him guess she wanted to rend him limb from limb.

"_Hai,_ Mamoru-san. Everything is fine."

"Alright. Do you need any help?"

"_Anoi…iie,_" fire managed, shaking her head. "We were just… talking?"

"We're coming," passion said.

The tray was carried out and placed onto the table, and seats were found. The four disposed themselves onto a couch, their ignorant men giving way to their comfort. Passion's icy haired admirer perched on the arm beside her, and fire's smiling devotee placed himself in a similar position beside her. The other two chose spots on the floor at their ladies' feet. The Time Keeper and ocean sat together in one chair, wind glowering as she chose a corner of the table. The princess alighted beside her prince in the other chair, and the two cats leapt up beside the tea things.

She smiled, and sat back to watch the fun.


	32. Chapter 32

_Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story but the idea and the title._

_A/N: Ah, what the hell, THANKS TO EVERYONE! (And thank you to aiisha for giving me the beginning sound effect. I hate when you do that.)_

A strange cracking noise rent the air of the apartment. The whole room froze, then rolled questioning eyes at Ami, who straightened her neck and smiled shyly.

"Just a little stiff," she explained apologetically. "You were saying?"

"I was _saying_," Luna continued, "that perhaps our best chance at learning anything about this black hole is not going to be found in our own books."

"Obviously, this is beyond anything humans have yet to understand," Artemis added. "Except, maybe, Queen Serenity."

"I doubt it," Setsuna said. "Queen Serenity's heart was pure, but her knowledge was somewhat inferior to her spirit. That is not going to help us now."

"So you're saying a pure heart is not important in this case?" Rei shot back.

"A clear understanding would be preferable." She shrugged. "The question is moot, however. She is dead, and we must fend for ourselves."

Mamoru sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, Setsuna is right."

"You're agreeing that a pure heart isn't important?" Usagi asked, her voice somewhat hurt.

"No, just that Queen Serenity can't help us now."

Luna cleared her throat to regain their attention. "I was not referring to the Queen when I said we should look elsewhere."

"What _do_ you mean?" Minako asked. "Do you think we should try to get in touch with the Starlights?"

"Who?" Kunzite murmured.

"They are…no one."

"No one?"

"No, someone closer at hand." Luna looked around at them all grimly. "Ibelieve we should attempt to talk with the Creature."

An instant uproar followed, people shouting over one another in protest. Only Usagi stayed quiet, a little frown on her face.

"Absolutely not!" Haruka yelled. "It _eats_ people! It almost _killed_ Hotaru!"

"It's evil!" Rei added. "Look what It did to Jadeite! To all of us!"

Kunzite shook his head fiercely. "You've gone mad, cat."

"Wait." Setsuna held up a hand. "Usagi, what is it? You're very quiet."

Their princess looked at her in surprise. "I just… maybe Luna's right."

To this, only silence answered. It was Setsuna's incredulous laugh that at last broke it.

"You're not serious."

"Listen." She leaned forward earnestly. "This Creature, whatever It is, _escaped_ from the Abyss. It is afraid of going back to that place, or of being caught. We can help It. We can-"

"Don't!"

Hotaru stood up quickly, eyes wide with horror.

"Please, princess, stay away from that thing!"

"I can't help but think that somehow, It almost seems… sad."

"It is wicked, and terrible! It only wants to destroy! I _know_ It is. I was so close to It last night, I felt Its breath on my neck. It reeks of evil! You _musn't_ try to talk to her!"

"You cannot save everything," Setsuna added. "This thing should be destroyed, kept away from innocent people. It is not looking for _redemption_, Usagi."

"But-"

"I don't mean to be cruel-"

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job at it," Rei cut in harshly.

Setsuna arched one eyebrow at her. "Fine words from you."

Blue eyes flashing, Jadeite almost snarled at Setuna, "Watch what you say, my lady."

"I don't need _your_ protection," Rei hissed.

Haruka turned, giving Jadeite an even icier glare. "Watch _yourself._"

"Meaning?" Nephrite demanded angrily.

"Stay out of this," Makoto ordered, grabbing his arm.

Usagi looked around in surprise. "Why are we fighting?" she whispered.

"Meaning that this is not your home, and not your fight. We are _tolerating_ you," Haruka explained.

"This is not _your_ home, _Uranus,_" Zoisite snarled right back. "This was our home to protect long before you came here."

Ami grabbed his shoulder and squeezed, hard. "You're not helping!"

"You expect me to just sit here when-"

"And a fine job you did of protecting it," Michiru told the Shitennou with a cold smile. "Your prince died, your kingdom fell-"

"That's enough!" Mamoru shouted. "We are passed that!"

"It's alright now, Haruka! Michiru!" Minako added desperately. "That's not going to happen again! Right, Kunzite?" She turned pleading blue eyes on his. "Right?"

"We don't know that," argued Michiru. "Those who betray once can always betray again."

"But we can trust them, just like we can trust you," Hotaru said. "_You_ aren't going to betray us again, are you? Mama? Papa?"

Kunzite looked down at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Haruka snapped.

"Why don't you answer me?" Minako demanded of Kunzite.

Jadeite bared his teeth at Haruka in a feral smile. "It sounds like something from over here."

"Venus-"

"Its none of _your_ business!"

"My _name_ is Minako!"

"Don't yell at me for your past, Uranus."

"That was different!" Hotaru muttered fretfully. "They didn't really mean to. Did you?"

Nephrite raised interested eyebrows. "Didn't mean to what?"

"Why are you pressing this issue?" Makoto shouted, rounding on him.

"Hotaru, please," Michiru snapped.

"Oh, now we're yelling at little girls," noted Jadeite.

"Would you shut up?" Rei yelled.

"WHY ARE WE FIGHTING!"

Usagi lunged to her feet, almost knocking the table over. "What is the matter with all of you? We are supposed to be in this together!"

"Usako," Mamoru tried, reaching for her hand.

She pulled away angrily. "_Iie!_ We promised to stand together! Didn't we?"

"Usagi." Minako stood to go to her, but Rei caught her arm with a warning head shake.

"_You all promised me!_ Was that a lie?"

Tears ran down her cheeks, not loud sobs but quiet, pure despair. Usagi put a hand over her mouth and gasped for breath.

"Why won't any of you answer me?"

Setsuna quietly folded her hands in her lap. "I really don't think this is the moment for childish tears."

"Setsuna!" Hotaru whispered, her voice shaking.

"I'm sorry if this isn't as gentle as the princess would like to be handled, but we are in a dire situation. This has to be treated rationally."

"Fine!" Usagi slammed past several pairs of knees, heading for the door. "Fine! If you want to handle this _rationally,_ without any _heart,_ you'll just have to do it without me!"

"Usako!"

Mamoru leapt up to follow, everyone snatching their appendages to safety. He made it to the door before a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let her go, Mamoru."

"Setsuna!" He tried to shake her off. "What is the matter with you? Why are you acting like this?"

"Because _someone_ has to!" Setsuna flung his arm away. "I don't _like_ hurting Usagi! I _do_ love her! But this thing is terrible, and It is _killing_ people, and It is not going to stop because Usagi is a sweet girl!"

"Mamoru-san."

Hotaru moved up beside Setsuna, and reached out to take one of his hands in both her tiny ones. "Mamoru-san, please believe Setsuna-mama. We _all_ care for the princess, but I just don't know if her heart is going to be enough for this fight, even if it is _pure,_ and _sweet…_"

Mamoru stared into those entrancing violet eyes for a moment, then let go of the door.

"Maybe we should let her run her anger off. If she doesn't come back in about an hour, I'll go looking for her."


	33. Chapter 33

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

_A/N: Thanks this time go to cardcaptor eternity (there should be plenty of new chapters for you now!), Lokileysmith (things are gonna get crazy now), Sailor France (oy, that's some heavy reading, girl!) Christina Aza (thank you for being the first person to at least venture a guess about what the Creature is! Even though it wasn't right, your idea would actually make a really great fanfic), and, of course, aiisha, and she knows why. We're on the home stretch, folks, so I thought I'd put these chapters all up together to keep the pacing. Enjoy!_

Haruka shook her aching head as she opened the door. The meeting had broken up only minutes after Usagi stormed out. Everyone just sat and glared for a while, then one by one they left, most in a huff. The Shitennou had been the first to depart, each heading out for a walk to cool their tempers When Haruka finally followed everyone else, she left only Setsuna and Mamoru in the apartment.

Pushing the door open, she found the living room dark and silent. The sun was setting, and she suddenly remembered Usagi. The silly girl wouldn't really try to speak to the Creature, would she? Especially alone.

_There's no telling what she'll do. Best remind Mamoru to go looking for her._

She flipped on a light, and yelped in alarm.

"Michiru! What are you doing?"

Sitting very still in a chair across the room, Michiru did not answer for a long moment. She stared with ice cold aquamarine eyes, her hands at her sides, her legs crossed elegantly. Even in this strange moment, Haruka had to marvel at her beauty.

"I've been waiting for you for over an hour, Haruka."

"_Gomen,_ but I walked Makoto home. She was upset after the fight."

"I see."

When she said no more, Haruka ventured another question. "Where's Hotaru?"

"Upstairs. She wasn't feeling well, so I put her to bed."

"Ah."

More awkward silence.

"Michiru, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"_Iie._"

"Oh." Haruka waited for more, than kind of shrugged. "Alright. If you're sure…"

"I've been thinking a lot today." Michiru uncrossed her legs and rose, her hands folded behind her back. She began to walk towards her lover. "I really have. I've thought over everything, and I can only see one answer."

"Okay," Haruka said slowly. "One answer to what?"

"To you."

"Oh. Alright. Uh, what is this answer?"

Michiru stood in front of her, looking up with those opaque eyes. "I think we're past talking."

"We are?"

"There's only one thing for it."

"_Ano…_" Haruka leaned a little closer. "I truly have no idea what we're talking about, love."

"Women."

"Women?"

"Women." The corners of Michiru's mouth turned down. "And you."

"Uh, Michiru, I don't know how to tell you this, but you're gay too."

"That's not what I mean. _Other_ women, Haruka." Michiru shook her head. "I love you so much, I don't know what I would do if you found someone else. So I'm not going to let you."

"If I found someone else?" Haruka couldn't help the little laugh that escaped her. "Michiru, have you been at the saké again?"

"Actually, I think I'm seeing the clearest I have in a long while. I told you, I'm not going to let you leave me."

"I'm not going to lea-!"

Haruka stumbled backwards, then looked down in shock. Blood stained the long rip across the chest of her white tee-shirt. Her eyes jerked back up to Michiru, who had not lost her cool when she swung the blade.

"Now, Haruka, don't make a fuss," she advised, advancing with the kitchen knife in front of her. "Hotaru is sleeping."

"Have you lost your mind?" Haruka shouted, backing away with her hands up. "What are you doing, Michiru?"

"I am not going to let any other woman have you. You are _my_ partner, _my_ love!" Another pass with the knife was dodged. "But does that matter to you? _Iie!_ What does _my_ heart matter to you?"

"Michiru!"

"SHUT UP!"

A table was sent flying as Michiru flung herself at Haruka. The two slammed into the wall, the knife sinking into her target's shoulder.

"SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!"

Every scream was punctuated by a wild stab. Haruka evaded most, letting them slash the wallpaper and plaster around her head, but not all. One gouged her cheek, leaving a scarlet streak along the wall. Another nicked her ear.

"Stop it!"

Haruka shoved Michiru away, and she staggered, tripped over the table, and fell.

"Damn you!"

"What have I done to you?" Haruka shouted back.

"Why couldn't you love me half as much as I love you? Why couldn't you need me the way I need you?" Michiru pushed herself up. "Look what you've done to me! I'm a fool, desperate for you! I can't stand you!"

Another lunge, and she tackled Haruka to the ground. Struggling for the knife, Haruka elbowed her in the face. Michiru's nose bled, dripping onto Haruka's face, but she did not seem to notice. When Haruka twisted the knife almost out of her hand, she bit down viciously on one finger until blood oozed from between her teeth.

"Let go!"

Haruka's hand closed in those glorious aqua wave, and yanked her head back. Michiru growled as the finger was ripped from her mouth, then spat a piece of flesh to the side. A hard punch to the gut made Haruka gasp for breath, but she refused to release the other woman's hair as she tried to pry the knife away.

"Michiru, let go!"

A knee ground into Haruka's abdomen, and she grunted in pain. Finally, with a deft turn, she yanked the blade free of her insane lover's grasp.

"Stop it!"

"SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU!"

An open palm strike to the nose made Haruka howl in pain, and throw Michiru to the side. Black spots danced in her vision, and for a moment she lay still, trying to make the room stop spinning.

When her eyes cleared, she saw Michiru standing over her with a heavy lamp.

"GAH!"

Haruka rolled to the side an instant before the lamp smashed into the floor. Shards of porcelain and glass peppered both combatants, but did not slow either down. Haruka almost got her feet under her, but Michiru leapt onto her, knocking her back to the ground, then straddling her waist and wrapping her hands around her throat.

"What does it take to make you go away?" Michiru shouted.

"Mi- Michi-" Haruka struggled for enough breath to speak, clawing at her hands, which seemed to possess an unnatural strength suddenly. "St- stop!"

"I can't!" Michiru panted. "I can't stop, Haruka!"

"Pl- please!"

"I can't! I won't let you leave me!"

"You-are-ki-ll-ing-m-e!"

"I know, so just be quiet, love, and it'll all stop!"

"M- Mi- Mich-iru!"

Haruka gripped both her wrists, and pulled with all her might.

Michiru's hands flew apart, and a look of rage flashed across her lovely face. But Haruka did not hesitate, shoving her away as hard as she could. She forced herself up, grabbed the fallen knife, and lurched towards the stairs.

"Haruka, get back here!"

She did not heed Michiru, scrambling up the stairs on her hands and feet to the second floor with a speed driven by panic. Her beloved had lost her mind!

"Oh, God! I have to stop her!" Haruka croaked, stumbling into a wall. Her knees gave out suddenly, and she slumped to the floor, gasping and coughing.

"Haruka-papa? What's going on?"

Her head whipped around in horror. "Hotaru! Go back to your room! Hide under your bed, no matter what you hear!"

The little girl did not obey, but instead hurried out into the hall, dropping down next to Haruka's head. "What happened to you?"

"Michiru's gone insane! Go hide, quick! I'm going to try and knock her out, and tie her up!"

"Why?"

"She's trying to kill me! She might try to hurt you, too!" She jerked as she heard footsteps on the stairs. "Hurry, Hotaru! Please!"

"Are you sure she's gone insane?"

"Of course!"

"But… don't you remember? Just a few nights ago, she pushed you away when you needed her. Are you sure this isn't something she had _planned?_"

Haruka shook her head, trying to clear it. She felt strange, like flies were buzzing around inside her skull.

"That wasn't her fault. The Abyss…"

"The Abyss works off our deepest, most secret feelings. This is something she has merely been _waiting_ to do. Now, the Abyss has opened her heart, and let out her coldness, her indifference, for you to see."

Haruka blinked, putting a hand to her temple. Somehow, that wasn't right… Was it?

Michiru appeared around the corner. "Haruka, why did you run away?"


	34. Chapter 34

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

Raising her head a little, Setsuna saw Mamoru's eyes dart to the window with concern. He checked his watch, tapped his fingers against his knee, and finally stood up.

"I'm going after Usako. You stay here, and see if you can't come up with something better than speaking with that _thing_."

"Mamoru, wait!"

He looked at her in surprise as she leapt up, grabbing his wrist. "_Nani?_"

"Well, it's just that… the sun is going down! You shouldn't go out." Setsuna tightened her grip. "It could be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"But if I don't go, _Usako_ might get hurt!"

"Usagi doesn't like the dark. I'm sure she's already inside," she said, trying to comfort him, and to keep him close.

"But if she was serious about speaking with the Creature-"

"Don't be silly," Setsuna interrupted harshly. "She would be too afraid to do so alone."

"Not if she thought it was the best thing to do," Mamoru argued. "She would walk right into hell if she thought it might help."

"What a fool."

Mamoru frowned at Setsuna. "I beg your pardon?"

"Who in their right mind would trust that foul beast?" Setsuna shook her head with disgust. "If she's killed, it will serve her right. It might even be for the best."

"What are you saying?" Mamoru tried to jerk his arm from her, but she held on tighter.

"Do you ever think about the future, Mamoru?"

"The future?"

"Crystal Tokyo. Small Lady." Setsuna moved closer to him. "When you will be king."

"_Hai,_ I've thought about it. Of course I've thought about it. But, it all seems so distant." He looked away from her again, towards the window. "I don't have time for this, Setsuna! I have to go find Usako!"

"What do you see, when you think of the future?" Setsuna persisted. "Do you see yourself happy with her?"

"With Usako?" Mamoru asked. "Of course I do!"

"How can you?" she demanded, pulling him until they stood face to face, barely an inch apart. "How can you see yourself happy with _her?_ You're so smart, Mamoru, so good and gentle and handsome… Why is it her?"

"I don't understand you," Mamoru said. "You know why I'm going to marry Usako. Because I'm in love with her."

"But why? Why do you love her?" Setsuna raised her other hand to touch his face. "If you had met me first, could you have loved me?"

His expression flashed from confusion to shock. "Setsuna! Are you hearing yourself? What are you saying?"

"I love you."

He reeled back, blue eyes widening in shock. "_Nani?_" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I love you. I loved you before you ever met her. I have loved you for over a thousand years, and I will love you for a thousand years more." She closed the space between them again, looking hard into his eyes. "I've never said anything because of _her._ But things have changed so much in the last few days, the time line has been warped almost out of recognition by the Abyss, the Creature, and the Shitennou. So, maybe, things are _supposed_ to change. Maybe this is my chance."

"Your chance?" He shook his head slowly. "Setsuna, many things have changed, but I still love-"

"_IIE!_"

She pushed him backwards as hard as she could. He fell onto the couch, staring up at her with alarm.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"No, my love," Setsuna swore, "only I am listening to my heart for once. You will not accept the fact that _we_ are more destined for one another than you and _she?_"

"Of course not!"

"That is… too bad."

"Pluto, what are you thinking?"

She shrugged simply. "You will not think of me while she is there to cloud your thoughts, so I will remove the obstacle."

Mamoru started up in alarm. "What does that mean?"

"Don't trouble yourself," she told him gently. "She will be gone from our lives soon, and then we two will be together, with _our_ daughter. I will step into her place, and rule with wisdom, not just a weak heart."

"Setsuna, what do you think…?" He looked at her, his eyes suddenly wary. "The Abyss."

"Do not worry," Setsuna told him, turning away. "I will take care of her as gently as I can. I really _do_ love her, you know."

"You are not leaving this apartment!" he shouted. "I won't let you, or anyone else, hurt her!"

Setsuna spun back around, smashing the heavy book into the side of his face. Mamoru did not even have a chance to cry out. He slumped, unconscious, to the floor.

She knelt beside him, and whispered in his ear. "Forgive me, Endymion. Please know that everything I do is for you, and for the world. She is too dangerous to be allowed to live. I _must_ do this, for everyone's sake."

"Setsuna! Mamoru! What on Earth happened?"

Luna and Artemis appeared from the bedroom, where they had been indulging in a catnap.

"Nothing to worry about," Setsuna promised, brushing Mamoru's hair from his forehead. "Nothing at all. Stay here and watch over him for me, will you?"

She stood, and started for the door. Luna looked from Mamoru to the heavy book, then to Artemis with a grave expression.

"Setsuna, where are you going?"

"To find the princess."


	35. Chapter 35

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

Watching the shadows lengthen across her walls, Makoto sat on the floor just under the window, deep in thought. She wrapped her arms around her legs, drew her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on top of them. Her teeth worried at her lip for a long time, not even pausing when the tang of blood touched her tongue.

_Nephrite._

A word, a name that would have filled her with nothing but rage less than a week ago, now left her weak and afraid. He filled her brain, driving her to distraction, until she did not know what to do anymore. All she knew was she wanted to run to him and get lost in his embrace forever.

But there was another woman in his embrace now, a pretty, delicate _lady_, looking twice the princess Makoto had ever been. She felt very alone, far from even her pretty, feminine friends.

"What do I do? Mama? Papa?"

What would she do, when everyone else married and moved away? What would she do without the friends she had clung to for millennia, without her Nephrite to hold her, without anyone who truly knew her and understood her? Her height, her strength, made it so hard for anyone to approach her, even when she desperately wanted them to.

"I can't do this!" She buried her face in her knees. "I'm so afraid!"

The whole world seemed alien, terrifying, and so very lonely without someone to chase her fears away.

"I'm going to miss you all so much when you leave me," she whispered. "What will I do when I'm all alone?"

The sound of the clock pounded in her skull until she thought she was going to scream. Every _tick-tick-tick_ brought her a second closer to eternal loneliness.

"STOP IT!"

She leapt up, grabbed the clock, and hurled it across the room. It shattered, pieces falling to the ground. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

_Tick-tick-tick_.

The second hand still moved, bumping futilely against the ground.

"Please, stop!"

Makoto sank back to her knees. "I don't want to be alone."

The sunset skimmed along the wall, and painted the shards of glass scarlet. Watching them glitter, Makoto sat up a little straighter.

_Why wait?_ A childish voice, almost like Hotaru's, but colder, whispered in her head, deep inside her brain. _Why wait for them to leave you? Why be at their mercy, when you have the chance to be free?_

Makoto crawled across the floor on her hands and knees until she came up beside the remnants of the clock. She reached out, and very carefully lifted a long, clear sliver. Testing it with one finger tip, she found it to be pleasantly sharp.

"Free from what?" she asked the whisper in her head.

_Free from disappointment. Free from fading friendship. Free from watching him walk away without a glance back._

Makoto held it up to the light, watching the red play along the deadly edge.

"Free from life."

She rose up, clenching her fist around the glass, an empty smile curving her lips.

She did not even bother to put her shoes on. She would not be gone long, and it would not matter if she cut her feet. Straight down the stairs, and out into the night, she did not pause once, or seem to notice the trail of red droplets she left on the white pavement. She saw not a single soul on the street, but did not worry about encountering anyone else. Who would notice her? Who would care?

Makoto crossed the street, heading for the park. She knew _he_ would be there, and she wanted to see his face one last time, even if he did not see her. Some things never made sense.

Namely, love.

The cool grass felt good on her bare feet. She stopped and wiggled her toes, enjoying way the blades cut between her toes. But after barely a moment, she continued on. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

Through a screen of bushes, she caught the flash of bronze hair. She approached quietly, her fist tightening around the glass, the blood flowing faster into the grass. She bent to look through the leaves, and was rewarded with a glimpse of his beautiful face.

Nephrite sat alone at the picnic table they had all shared two days ago. He leaned back on his elbows, staring abstractedly up at the moon, a frown between his eyes. Makoto looked up as well. The moon always made her feel so peaceful.

"What are you doing?"

Sharper than glass, that voice cut through her. She closed her eyes to shut it out, but the other woman walked right past the bushes, her heartbeat as loud as a clock in her head. She opened her eyes to accept the truth.

The past was gone, their love was dead, and that happiness would never come again.

"Just thinking," Nephrite replied. "Things are so strange now, but the moon always looks so peaceful, doesn't it? So beautiful, glowing that brilliant silver, beckoning us all home?"

Naru sat between him and Makoto, leaning her head back as well.

"I wouldn't want to live up there. It would be cold, and lonely."

"A long time ago, it was the warmest, kindest place in all the solar system." He smiled. "Maybe all the universe. And it held the most lovely of all princesses."

"You're silly, Nephrite," she said on a girlish giggle. "Next you're going to tell me you've been there."

"I have," he whispered, just loud enough for Makoto to hear.

"Really?" Naru responded in a teasing tone. "Was it warm and peaceful?"

"No. It was covered in blood, and everything beautiful in the universe was dead."

Naru started back in surprise. "Nephrite! That's awful!"

"The truth often is. I thought all the sweetness was gone from the universe. I thought everything was beyond hope." He finally dropped his gaze from the moon to look at her "Until I met you."

_Oh, Nephrite. How is it you can slice me to pieces without even seeing me?_

Makoto went to her knees, her tearful eyes on the sky.

_I want to go home._

She could not see Jupiter, but she felt it, wild and thunderous and mighty, deep in her heart. At last, she was ready to return to her planet, her home.

_Will you miss me when I'm gone? Please, when you are lying beside her at night, and you happen to glance out your window, and you see the stars…_

She held the glass shard, already slick with her blood, against the fragile white flesh of her wrist. One long, deep cut, leading towards her elbow, and her life began to flow free.

_Remember me, Nephrite._


	36. Chapter 36

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

Long hair spun around her face, and her body blazed with light. The white bodysuit shimmered into existence, followed by the short _fuku_. Then everything faded back to darkness, and she looked around.

No sound came from anywhere. No one had seen anything. She was safe.

She ran lightly down the steps. She heard the birds crying in the trees, calling her to come back, but instead she turned and headed off down the street.

It was time to settle accounts.

The wind twisted through her hair, and she caught it. Like the scent of blood in a hound's nose, it drew her onward, to where _he_ was waiting. She would find him, and she would finish their dance at last. He would taste her grief, her rage, and her vengeance.

"Wait!"

She halted, and turned towards the sound of running feet, her eyes flashing in the dark. He did not see the danger, and did not stop until he stood in front of her.

"What's going on? Why are you transformed? Is there trouble?"

"There's going to be."

"Why? What's happened?"

His eyes came too close, his expression concerned, not dangerous. This was the way he looked when he loved her, not when he killed her.

_I loved him until I died._

"What's going on?"

He put his hands on her shoulders, warm and gentle.

She jerked her knee up into his groin.

Staggering back, he doubled over, trying to gasp for breath. She spun on one foot, gathering momentum, then hammered it all into his face. He flew several feet, and crashed into the ground, his back making an unhealthy cracking sound.

"Wh-" He wiped blood from his torn cheek. "What are you doing?"

"Finishing things, darling," she explained, advancing on him. "We have a lot to discuss, don't you think?"

"This is not a discussion, this is an ass kicking," he corrected her, struggling to his feet. "Any chance we _can_ discuss this?"

"I like the way we're communicating just find," she said. "But it you'd like, I could express myself more clearly."

"That's okay," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "You really don't want to talk?"

In answer, she closed the space between them, and smashed her fist into his jaw. He backed up another step, and shook his head to clear it.

"Guess not."

She struck again, but this time he caught her wrist, and spun her into his arms, squeezing her in a crushing embrace.

"Are you at least going to tell me why you're hitting me?"

"I'm finishing this thing, once and for all!"

A stomp on his foot made him shout, but he maintained his grip on her. She twisted and wrestled, going so far as to bite his hand. Nothing seemed to move him.

"Let me go!"

"I'm not letting go until you see sense!"

"Sense!" she shrieked. "You bastard!"

She elbowed him hard in the throat. His arms disappeared from around her as he made a choking noise. She turned to find him clutching his throat, trying to drag oxygen through his bruised windpipe.

"Sense! I could kill you!"

A lightning fast punch cracked his nose. A kick to the stomach forced him back against a lamppost. Another blow to his face brought forth a stream of blood from his split lip.

"What was the sense in killing what you swore to love forever? What was the sense of destroying the most beautiful, peaceful kingdom in the universe?"

She leapt forward, nails flashing as she tried to claw his face off. He dodged the blow, and her fingers hit the lamppost with enough force to make the metal sing, and her nails shatter. Cursing, she spun to follow him, her teeth bared in rage.

A backhand was deflected by his forearm. He caught her wrist, spun, and flipped her over his shoulder. Her back hit the grass, and the air hissed out of her lungs. She gulped in a breath, and rolled over before he could pin her to the spot.

"Don't even touch me!" she growled, scrambling to her hands and knees.

"You are making that very difficult, what with the pummeling me and all," he reminded her, panting. "Come on, love. This really isn't necessary, is it?"

"I believe it is."

They stared at each other, crouching in the grass like two wild animals, stained with blood and dirt, the air between them crackling with energy. She narrowed her eyes, and he shook his head.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"_Hai._"

He laughed.

"You are still the only woman for me, Rei."

She smiled at him, and beckoned him closer. He came, dragging an arm that might have been twisted, or even broken. He collapsed before her, and she pulled him into her lap, smoothing back his hair.

"I don't believe in _sense_ anymore, darling. I believe in passion, and love."

Sailor Mars cupped her hands in front of her body, her arms around him and level with his face, and called up all the power she could muster.

"MARS PURIFYING INFERNO!"

The holy flames crackled to life in her hands, dancing in his eyes. Still smiling, she thrust them up, and watched the fire build higher and higher, until she thought it would singe the sky. A billion silver stars shuddered, and in them all, they saw something burn red.

"Look," she whispered. "Mars is beautiful tonight."

"Mars is beautiful every night," he murmured back.

"I love you, Jadeite," she told him simply. "Wherever you go, I will follow."

The flames flared as though they had hit a ceiling, then began to rain back down on the couple sitting so quietly together, kissing under the stars.


	37. Chapter 37

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

_A/N: I almost feel I should apologize for this chapter, but insanity comes in all forms, so don't be too mad. Besides, we need a little break. The song Ami sings is yet another image song, this one from the first season, called, "Someday, Somebody."_

_Tok-tok!_

"Ami?"

Bare feet made a muffled sound as Ami hurried across the living room, stopping briefly to check her hair in the mirror. She ran her fingers through the blue waves, contemplated them for a moment, then sighed and gave up.

"Ami-chan? Are you there?"

Ami ran to the door, and opened it to beam up at Zoisite.

"Come in, come in!" she invited him, grabbing his arm and pulling him. "I'm so happy I caught you when I was walking home to invite you over!"

"Are you alright?" he asked, kicking his shoes off. "I'm so sorry about everything that happened tonight. That was terrible."

"Oh, it'll be alright! We've all fought before, and we probably will again!"

Zoisite smiled down at her, giving her hair a playful tug. "Good. I was afraid you would be angry with me. I didn't mean to get so upset, but-"

"I said it's alright!" she told him on a giggle. "So relax, hmm? I didn't invite you over to relive that fight."

He caught her hand, and kissed her fingers. "I'm glad. But what did you need me for, then? Did you find out something about the Abyss?"

"_Iie,_ and I honestly haven't looked. Won't you sit down?"

Zoisite followed her into the living room, and took the loveseat she indicated. He looked a little surprised when she sat beside him, but she smiled and wrapped her arms through one of his in a little hug.

"Uh, Ami-chan, not that this isn't nice, but have you been out in the wind again?"

She laughed, and put her head on his shoulder. "You're being silly, Zoisite-chan! You know how I feel about you, don't you?"

"I… well, I hoped, but…" He stopped, and smiled a little shyly. "I didn't think it would be easy to get over what happened in the Silver Millennium."

"Oh, that." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I did worry, you know? I worried that you might change your mind, or that you might leave me. It wasn't until I saw you a few days ago that I realized how much I've been missing you, all my life, knowing I could never have you again. But now," she squeezed his arm almost to the breaking point, "I won't let you get away."

"I don't want to get away," he reassured her with a smile. "What could be better than this?"

"I'm so glad you feel that way!"

Ami leapt up off the couch, putting out her hand to him. "Come on, I want to show you something!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he laughed, allowing her to pull him off the couch. "What is it?"

"You'll see. I hope you like it, Zoisite-chan. I made it especially for you."

She tugged his hand eagerly, and he hurried after her, grinning. He had not seen her so excited since she explained to him all about the Moon Palace's library centuries ago. Her whole face glowed with almost childish delight.

"Here it is! Tell me what you think!"

Zoisite frowned in confusion as she opened a door, and leaned in to flick on the lights.

"_Ano…_ Ami-chan, it's the basement."

"I know!"

She almost dragged him down the stairs, and gestured widely around. "Look at everything I found! Those are some of my mother's books, and those are some I bought yesterday to replace the ones I ripped up. I even pulled one of the guest beds down here for us!"

"Wait, what?"

Zoisite spun around to stare down at her. "For _us_? Ami-chan, are you insane? You're only seventeen! I couldn't-"

"Oh, I don't mean to have intercourse with you right now, silly!" she reassured him in a soothing voice. "I don't think Mama would like that, and, well, Haruka can be a bit over-protective. I just thought it would be nice if we could sleep together at night!"

"In the basement?" He looked around in absolute confusion. "Ami-chan, I think you meant this kindly, so please don't be angry, but I can't live down here with you. You're still very young, and while you're the only girl I'd ever want to marry, this is just… weird."

"What's weird about wanting to keep you close to me, Zoisite?" she asked in an innocent voice. "We've been torn apart too many times for me to ever want to let you go. So you stay here, with me, and we'll be so happy!"

"Ami-chan…" He looked desperate. "I love you, and I love that you did all this for me-"

"Sh!" She pressed a finger to his lips. "I know how you feel, Zoisite-chan, so no more words. You stay here, and I'll go check on dinner."

"Dinner?" he asked blankly.

"Of course! What kind of a wife would I be if I didn't make you dinner?"

"Ami-chan, wait!"

She did not heed him, and skipped up the stairs. Zoisite sighed as he heard the basement door close with a strangely ominous thud, and looked around.

"She must have been in the wind again."

_Whack! Whack! Whack!_

"What in all the rings of-"

He darted up the stairs, yelling, "Ami-chan! Are you alright?"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm just hammering."

Zoisite reached the top of the stairs, and groped for the doorknob. After several unsuccessful passes, he looked down, and felt his eyebrows shoot up almost into his hair.

"Ami-chan?"

"_Hai,_ honey?"

"Where's the doorknob?"

He heard a giggle from the other side of the door. "There isn't one on that side, only on this side. Don't get worked up, Zoisite-chan, because I've already set the deadbolt, and I'm just finishing the reinforcement. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes!"

"Ami-chan!" he shouted, pounding on the door. "You let me out of here, right now!"

_Whack! Whack! Whack!_

"Dreaming the chance for love! Tell me it's not in the dictionary! Quickly close the notebook…"

"AMI!" he bellowed.

She went on singing and hammering happily.

"Dreaming if my hair moves! For you the smell of conditioner! I feel some sort of premonition…"


	38. Chapter 38

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

The only good thing she could find about the battle that had waged in Mamoru's apartment less than an hour before was the fact that no one had thought to come and guard this corridor into hell.

Sailor Venus pushed her hair away from her face, staring down into the alley. She _saw_ nothing, but she felt it, deep inside there, rumbling just below the human hearing rage. It was hungry, and it wanted to eat her whole.

"That would be nice," she whispered, smiling down into the Abyss wistfully. "But it won't help the world, will it?"

She turned, standing on the roof of the apartment building, and looked out over Tokyo.

"So many people. So many souls, crying out for love, with no one to help them, no one to hold them through the night. Millions are aching tonight for love."

She tipped her head back, and smiled up at the moon.

"Queen Serenity! Can you see us down here?"

For a moment, she caught the lightest scent of roses, the same smell she remembered long ago, and raised her hands as thought to catch the silver orb.

"Are you there, my queen? Do you see me? Please don't be angry. I think, in the end, this will be for the best."

Her gloved hands fell to her sides, and she turned back to look down into the alley.

"I know you're down there. I know you can hear me. Listen, please."

"WE ARE LISTENING."

The voices of the Abyss made Venus shiver, but she stood strong.

"I love this world. I love the people in it. I know you don't understand love, but you understand destruction."

"YES, PRETTY ONE. WE UNDERSTAD DESTRUCTION INTIMATELY."

"If I release you, that is what I want from you."

Something like a laugh shook the building under her feet.

"WE WILL DO THAT FOR YOU."

"But I do not want this world to suffer."

The ground trembled again as the Abyss made an almost thoughtful noise.

"THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO, PRETTY ONE?"

Venus smiled gently. "I want you to obliterate this world. End it all in one strike. Rip it to rubble, and release all these poor souls. That is what I want from you."

"LET US FREE, AND WE WILL LEAVE NOTHING OF THIS WORLD TO FEEL ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. WE PROMISE YOU THAT, PRETTY!"

"Very well."

She started down the ladder on the outside of the building, down into the ally. The Abyss tugged at her hair and her skirt, but did not draw her into itself. Instead it waited, somewhat impatiently, as she reached the bottom. Her heels hit asphalt, and she slowly turned towards nothingness.

"I feel…empty. I only want what is best for this world, and in the end, this world gives nothing. It only takes from us all, just like the Abyss. At least you are honest about your nature."

"WE DO NOT LIE, PRETTY ONE. BUT WE HUNGER. HELP US, AND WE WILL DETROY YOUR SWEET WORLD, JUST AS YOU LIKE."

"_Hai,_" she whispered. "I know what it is to hunger."

"Venus!"

She spun, shocked, to see Kunzite check himself violently on the threshold, staring at her in wonder.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. "How… Why aren't you being pulled into the Abyss?"

"Kunzite, please stay where you are," Venus ordered, holding her palm out to stop him.

"Venus, come out of there!"

"I can't."

"PRETTY, REMEMBER OUR DEAL."

"What in the hell?" Kunzite jumped at the voices. "What was that? What deal?"

"It's for the best," she told him. "This world is so lonely. Everyone in it is alone, and it's cruel to make every human being go on in this way. So I'm going to stop it."

He edged a little closer, eyeing the place where realities meshed nervously. "What are you planning, Venus?"

"An end to all this suffering. Kunzite, don't you feel it! Don't you see it, everywhere around you! This world is a pit of despair, a raging wound of agony! And there is no way to fill it, no way to heal it!"

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped. "There is love, and hope."

Venus shook her head at him. "That is why Earth is so much crueler than the Abyss, Kunzite. Earth tortures us with _hope,_ with _love._ The Abyss does not offer these lies. It gives no love, no hope. It is nothing." She closed her eyes, and sighed. "Doesn't that sound peaceful?"

"_Iie!_ That sounds terrible!"

Her big blue eyes flew open, and caught his silver stare.

"Venus, please," he begged. "Come away from there."

"I can't. I need to do this, Kunzite."

"Don't!"

She turned her back on him, and nodded towards the Abyss.

"Are you ready?"

"FEED US, AND WE WILL DO AS YOU ASK!"

"Venus!"

Raising her hands up to the moon, she called on the powers granted her by Queen Serenity and her own guardian, twinkling silver overhead.

"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"

Golden light swirled, then disappeared into the dark.

"STOP IT!"

A black wind shrieked, flying up into the sky. Then it twisted like some terrible bird, and shot off to the south.

"MORE! GIVE US MORE!"

Venus staggered under its demands, and gasped for breath. She heard Kunzite throw caution to the netherworld, and begin running to her.

"QUICKLY, PRETTY ONE!"

Her heart thundered as she closed her eyes, imagining the veiled, beautiful surface of her home world.

"_Hai._ I know what you want, you evil beast. This should slake even your thirst."

White gloved hands stretched out in front of her, and she felt her lips begin to move.

"VENUS," she shouted, opening her eyes as her hands began to shine gold, "HEART," the gold light flared into a ball, growing bigger and bigger, "RENDING," the ball swallowed her whole body, and she glowed, her hair streaming straight back, her eyes gold, "PASSION!"

The light exploded out, just as she felt hands grab her shoulders and drag her backwards, out of the alley. The Abyss roared with pleasure, and drank deep of her loving power. But instead of darkening, the light brightened as she felt herself spun around.

"Minako!"

Lips caught hers, and her back arched in a gasp. Then her arms were around his neck, and she kissed him back, desperate for the taste of him, for the feel of him. As much as the Abyss devoured, the long kiss produced a light twice as brilliant.

"YES, PRETTY ONE!"

Sailor Venus felt her toes touch the ground, and realized belatedly that he had swept her off her feet. Their lips parted, and she looked up at him with a tiny smile as the light slowly dimmed.

"Do you still believe love is a lie?" he breathed against her mouth.

"Kunzite…"

"HAHAHAHA! THANK YOU, PRETTY ONE!"

An explosion of darkness raced out from the Abyss. It flattened the lovers, and raced off across the city, wailing with triumph.

Minako levered herself up onto her elbows, and met Kunzite's horrified stare with one of her own.

"Sweet goddess of love, what have I done?"


	39. Chapter 39

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

Michiru turned the corner, mildly surprised to find Hotaru out of bed. Her lover lay beside her daughter, looking up at her with smoldering eyes.

"Haruka, why did you run away?" She shook her head sadly. "You woke up Hotaru. I specifically asked you not to do that, didn't I?"

"Michiru-mama, I think I'm in the way," Hotaru said, rising to her feet. "I think I had best get out of the house."

"Of course, sweetheart. I am sorry Papa woke you up," Michiru told her. "Why don't you run back to Mamoru's apartment, and get Setsuna-mama? I'm a little worried about her. She should have been home by now."

"_Hai,_ Mama."

Hotaru slipped past her, and began down the stairs. Michiru called sharply after her.

"Did you kiss Papa goodbye?" she asked sternly. "Because I'm going to kill her, you know."

"_Gomen, _Mama!" Hotaru ran back up, and held up her arms to Haruka. "_Sayonara,_ Papa!"

Haruka kissed her back, and ruffled her hair. "You might want to kiss your Mama, too. I plan on killing her as well."

"Alright!" Hotaru ran back, and Michiru left a bloody kiss mark on her cheek. "_Bai bai,_ Mama!"

"Run along, sweetheart, and tell Setsuna-mama to hurry home now."

Hotaru scampered off, leaving Haruka and Michiru to smile at each other.

"She is a good girl, isn't she?" Michiru noted.

"She is the best daughter anyone could ask for," Haruka agreed. "Ah, well."

Michiru gave a little sigh, then pulled her knife from behind her back, and flung it, point first, at Haruka's face.

Slamming into the far wall, Haruka barely escaped the knife's deadly point. She spun back around to face Michiru.

"Let's do this right, love."

Her _henshin_ wand fell into her hand. She thrust it out, and called on her guardian for power.

"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!"

Even as she disappeared behind the rushing winds, Michiru answered her challenge.

"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER!"

Blue and turquoise light faded, and Sailor Uranus grinned at Sailor Neptune, both still bloodied and bruised.

"Much better, don't you think?"

"Much," Neptune agreed. She held up her mirror, and shouted, "SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"

Light shot from the mirror, streaking towards Uranus' chest. She did not bother dodging, instead slicing the attack in half. Then she leapt forward, her own talisman leading the way.

"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"

"Oh!"

Neptune twisted too late, the glowing blade slashing the front of her bodysuit. Before Uranus could spin back around, she felt something smash into the back of her head. She hit the ground, somersaulted, and came up on her feet, then staggered a little to the side. Seeing the blood stained edge of Neptune's mirror, she laughed wildly.

"Bitch!"

Neptune giggled, then tossed the mirror aside. "Whore! Let's truly make this memorable. NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"

Water rushed up in ribbons, swirling into a ball between her hands. The ball shone, gaining the single ring of Neptune. The Senshi of the sea held it over her head, letting the energy collect, then thrust it out at her partner.

Uranus leapt sideways, tumbling through Hotaru's broken door. The attack shot over her head, and smashed out the window. A quick glance showed her the top of the tree outside was missing.

"Beautiful, my love!" she shouted. "Now it's my turn! URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"

The wind howled, and yellow light flashed. Uranus snatched it up in her fist, and felt the power pounding deep inside her. It grew into its own planet, blazing in her hand for a moment. Then she threw it to the floor, and it cleaved a deadly path towards Neptune.

The graceful girl leapt away, letting the attack hammer through the wall, ripping the bathroom to pieces. Porcelain tile soared through the air, and Neptune ducked as a silver faucet flew over her head.

"Oh, dear!" she yelled, then snickered. "Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! Now, my one true love," she looked through the hole in the wall at Uranus, arching her eyebrows, "let's really rock this house."

"_Hai,_ my sweet," Uranus agreed, chuckling. "Are you ready for me?"

"Come for me, love!"

Both laughed as they thrust their hands straight out at each other.

"NEPTUNE!" Aquamarine hair flew around her face, ribbons of water spinning around her body.

"URANUS!" The wind howled between her gloved hands, glowing with a fearsome, dark blue light.

"SWIRLING!" The water spun faster around her, and the world disappeared as Neptune found herself behind a surging wall of turquoise liquid.

"ROARING!" Uranus' voice barely penetrated the water, but she saw the blue wind ripping their pictures from the wall as it raced to its mistress's call.

"MAELSTROM!"

"TEMPEST!"

Water and wind raced towards each other, both pouring every ounce of will and passion into their attacks. It was pure, elemental fury, smashing everything in its path to rubble, and heading towards a cataclysmic climax.

Neptune's eyes met Uranus' in a shared mad grin. The lovers held each other's gazes as their most powerful attacks slammed into one another.

Blue and turquoise blasted them off their feet. The floor disappeared, and the roof shredded. Neptune felt herself flying, then falling. A single word ripped its way free of her mouth.

"HARUKA!"


	40. Chapter 40

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

Everything seemed so quiet.

Usagi looked around nervously. The Abyss grew more powerful with each passing night, but tonight she did not even hear tempting whispers in her ear. The whole world seemed to be holding its breath.

"Hello?" she called out in a little voice. "Monster-person who looks like me? Are you there?"

Not surprisingly, nothing answered her. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment, and she lowered herself onto the curb with a sigh.

_I can't believe Mamo-chan let me leave like that! Couldn't he see how upset I was? Why hasn't he come after me?_

She wiped a single tear off her cheek, then froze.

Black slippers stood in the road in front of her, almost hidden by the long black skirt. Very slowly, she followed the line of that skirt up, over the small waist, the slight swell of breasts, the slim neck, to a sweet, heart shaped face with black eyes.

"Uh, hi."

The Creature stared down at her, expression almost puzzled. "Why are you here? You know it is dangerous in the dark."

"I do, but, um, I wanted to talk to you," Usagi explained haltingly.

It tipped Its head at her. "You wished to speak to _me_?"

"_Hai._ If you're not, uh, busy." She winced, and tried again. "I promise not to attack you! So, please, won't you sit down?"

It looked down at her in wonder.

It smiled.

"I will sit with you."

It sank down onto the pavement beside Usagi, close enough to touch her arm. Usagi shivered, but did not pull away, which seemed to please the Creature.

"And I will speak with you."

"_Arigatou._" Usagi swallowed hard, then cleared her throat. "What are you?"

It turned Its eyes straight ahead, and sat quietly for a long time. Just when Usagi began to regret asking, It said, "I am a monster."

"Are you really? Because I've met a lot of monsters, and you just don't seem as evil as most of them," she explained.

"Oh, but I am, my sweet young friend. I am the most evil of all monsters."

"Why do you say that?"

It smiled again. "What is the most evil thing you can think of?"

Usagi paused, thinking hard. "I guess… killing someone."

It threw Its head back, and laughed. "That's it? No, no, sweet one! There is worse!" Those terrible black eyes closed. "So much worse. And I have done it."

"But what did you do that was so terrible?" Usagi asked earnestly.

It shook Its head. "It does not matter now, child. Is this really what you wished to speak to me about? It is not something I wish to remember."

"_Gomen,_" Usagi whispered earnestly. "I did not mean to hurt your feelings."

"Strange. You are probably the only one on this planet who would worry about my feelings." It returned Its gaze to her face. "You wish to know about the Abyss, don't you?"

"Can we stop it?"

"If you can, I do not know how."

"But that's where you came from, isn't it? If you can open a door to this world, you can close it, too!"

"Can you?" The Creature thought this over, then shrugged. "Perhaps. But I cannot help you. I know very little about it, to tell the truth. I just know it is terrible, and I will never go back."

Usagi reached out, hesitated, then gently took Its hand. It stared as she laced their fingers together and squeezed.

"I know you're afraid," the moon princess said. "So am I."

It reached out with Its other hand, and touched her face.

"You remind me so much of my own daughter."

Usagi relaxed into this strange being's caress. "You have children?"

"No. Not any longer. But once I had five. Four sons, and one daughter." It laughed a little. "They were so beautiful, my children. They danced around me, and we were happy."

"What happened to them?"

The Creature shuddered. "Please, do not ask me that."

Usagi just nodded, and let it rest.

The two sat there together, the Creature smoothing her hair in a way so similar to her mother, and she felt her head fall onto Its shoulder, and her eyes begin to droop.

"Why do you kill people?"

"I feel so cold inside," It whispered, beginning to rock her a tiny bit. "You humans are warm. Some have been kind enough to share that warmth with me. I don't suppose you would believe that I loved them, would you?"

Usagi frowned in thought. "It is kind of hard to believe."

"Ah, but my sweet one, you are very young, and I am very old. I do not like killing. I need to kill. Their light carries me onward."

"You _don't_ need to kill them," Usagi corrected firmly, snuggling closer to It. "You are afraid not to. You are afraid of the cold."

"If you had ever been inside the Abyss, sweet one, you would be more than simply _afraid_ of the cold."

"I have been inside it," Usagi murmured, her head nodding. "In a dream…"

"A dream? My poor darling," It cooed. "I won't let it haunt your dreams tonight."

"If I fall asleep, are you going to eat me?" Usagi forced the words through the growing wall of torpor, though she did not really care. The Creature had a very gentle touch.

"I will never hurt you, my darling child. So sleep safe."

She tried to raise her head. She needed to learn more about the Abyss.

It began to hum, managing several chords in one voice, singing with tenderness and longing and deep, ancient love.

"The Abyss is going to kill everyone," Usagi whispered, clinging to this thought desperately. "It's going to destroy this world."

"I know, dear. So close your eyes and sleep, and don't worry anymore."

She wanted to fall asleep in this maternal embrace, to let the world drift away and dream of the song It sang, of burning stars and dancing planets, of the beautiful creation of love. She wanted to be at peace, the way she was when her mother used to sing to her as well. But her friends needed her.

"I can't." Usagi dragged her head up, swaying a little, her eyes still closed. "I can't just let this world end. I love this world. I always have, even before it was my home. I can't let it end this way."

"It is going to end someday," the Creature told her soothingly. "Your sun will expand, and swallow this world. Then there will be nothing, not even ash, to prove you ever existed. Everything you have done, everything you have felt and loved, will be reduced to rubble, and even this will shatter into pebbles. It is inevitable."

Usagi forced her eyes open, and stared into her own dark reflection. "Maybe. But I will keep this world safe, and protect it until I die." Her eyes shimmered like stars.

It opened Its mouth, then paused, trembling with uncertainty. Usagi took Its other hand, and held them both tightly.

"Please. Someday, I am going to have a daughter. I have seen her. She's beautiful, and I love her very much." She pressed both Its hands against her heart. "For my daughter's chance to live, for your daughter's memory, won't you help me?"

It tried to free Its hands once, then clung to her with all Its strength. Its grip hurt, but Usagi did not falter.

"I…" It shook Its head, and a single tear rolled down Its face. "For my daughter I will- NO!"

Usagi found herself flying briefly through the air, then landing hard on the sidewalk, on her face. She pushed herself up on her hands, moving her head woozily, and saw blood on the pavement. Her shirt was torn, and her knee skinned.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to turn back around. "What did I do?"

"Princess? Are you alright?"

She raised her head in surprise, to see Sailor Pluto standing there, her staff in her hand. The Creature stood in the road, claws extended, teeth bared. A huge chunk of the curb was missing, lying in shards around Pluto's feet, and peppering the head of her staff.

"Pluto! Wait, we were talking!" Usagi explained, pushing herself up. "It might help us!"

"Don't be an idiot," Pluto ordered. "It is using you, trying to get you to drop your guard so It can destroy this planet!"

"You don't understand!" Usagi wailed.

"I understand, my princess." She spun her staff, and pointed the garnet orb at her. "You never listen, and now you have gone too far. Don't worry, I will take good care of the Senshi, and I will be a good wife to Mamo-chan, and a good mother to Small Lady."

"_Nani?_" Usagi stepped closer, her face fixed in confusion. "But _I_ am going to be his wife, and Chibi-Usa's mother!"

"Not anymore. It is time to change that, and protect the future."

"What are you-?"

"PLUTO DEAD SCREAM."

The gem at the head of her staff glowed. A dark, deep purple ball gathered there, then she swung, and it shot towards Usagi.

"Pluto!"

The dazzling light hit her full in the chest, and the world went black.


	41. Chapter 41

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

The Creature moved towards the tall woman as her jewel began to glow. She was going to kill the sweet one, the one so like her own daughter!

"And what are you going to do about?"

Its head whipped to the side, and saw the little one, the child with the dark eyes and aching soul. Only now she was smiling with all the cruelty of the Abyss.

"You!" It snarled. "What have you done to that child?"

"What have we done to her?" the Abyss asked through little lips. "We have only eaten her. Is that so bad?"

"Of course! She is only a child!"

"Only a child!" The Abyss laughed wildly. "Only a child, you say! You hypocrite! What about _your_ children?"

"No," It moaned, backing away as a purple blast hit the sweet one in the chest. "I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to?' the Abyss jeered. "How do you do what you did without meaning to? We find that hard to believe."

The Creature looked away, and gasped. The tall woman began walking towards the sweet one, lying so still on the ground.

"Don't hurt her!" It breathed. "She's going to have a beautiful daughter!"

"And do you think she will do what you have?" the Abyss hissed. "Do you think she will rip her own daughter apart?"

"Stop…" the Creature moaned.

"Do you think she will murder her own daughter?"

"I didn't…"

"_Do you think she will devour her own children?_"

"SHUT UP!"

The tall woman did not even react when It screamed. Her eyes were focused on the sweet one, so helpless, blood in her hair.

The Creature caught the child by her throat, lifting her and slamming her into the wall across the street from the two women. Inside the child, the Abyss laughed.

"What are you going to do, Inanna?"

"I am going to stop you."

The Creature used Its other hand to grab her hair, and forced her head back. It locked Its lips over hers, and drew a slow, deep breath.


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah.

A/N: Special thanks go out to aiisha, as usual, kuyaga (for all the reviews), and cardcaptor eternity. Everyone had the reactions I was hoping for, especially with the Haruka-Michiru fight.

_Fingers gently combed through her hair. Someone kissed her on top of her head. A warm hand rested between her shoulder blades._

_"Serenity. Wake-up, dear."_

_Her eyelashes fluttered. Her chest ached strangely, and she felt languid, weak. Her limbs seemed too heavy to move._

_"Wake-up, Serenity," the sweet voice insisted again._

_"Why?" she whispered, eyes closed._

_"I don't have much time. Neither do you."_

_"Why not?"_

_The hand stopped playing with her hair, and lay heavy on the back of her head. "Wake-up, Serenity!"_

_"I feel so strange… so very tired."_

_"That is because your heart has stopped."_

_"_Nani?"

_"You are dying, Serenity. Please, open your eyes."_

_She tried to take a deep breath, but found her lungs frozen. Frightened, she forced her eyes open._

_"Now sit up. We don't have much time, my dear, and I have much to tell you."_

_"Mother?"_

_Queen Serenity smiled down at her. "_Hai, _little one."_

_"I had a terrible nightmare! I called out for you, but you didn't come!" her daughter whispered accusingly._

_"I have been trying to come to you since that night, but it has blocked my way," the queen explained. "It took all my love for you to get me this close."_

_Princess Serenity sat up, then took her mother's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Glancing down, she saw the white gown of the Princess of the Silver Millennium. Under her skirt was the floor of the Moon Palace, a silver so pure it reflected the sky, until it looked like they were standing in a field of stars._

_"How did I get here?"_

_"You're not really here," Queen Serenity explained, still holding her hand. "You are actually on Earth, lying on the side of the street, and dying. This is just the place your mind and heart best remember me." She reached out and brushed a lock of her daughter's hair behind one ear. "This is where you will always find me."_

_The princess looked up, and gasped._

_Behind Queen Serenity loomed a roaring maw of destruction. It filled the sky, devouring souls, crushing civilizations, shredding bodies, and laughing._

_"Mother!"_

_The queen turned to follow her gaze. "_Hai. _It is coming closer, Serenity. It is growing stronger. That is why you must listen to me."_

_"But it's right there!"_

_"It is always right there, waiting to consume us." The queen shook head sadly. "The Abyss in its physical form is frightening enough. But when we find it in our own hearts, it is terrifying beyond words."_

_"What is it, Mother? What is the Abyss?"_

_"It was…an experiment." The queen paused, then started again. "It was a noble idea that went wrong. Very, very wrong. Evil has always existed in this universe, Serenity. We have all of us faced it in some way. But there were those who thought they could trap it away, and leave this universe pure._

_"So ten people, five men and five women, all came together to make a place to hide evil away forever, and let only light shine throughout all of creation. They wanted to make the universe safe for everyone, forever."_

_"Who were they?" Princess Serenity asked._

_"The first of the Royal Houses," her mother said. "The King of Mercury. The Queen of Venus. The King of Mars. The King of Jupiter. The Queen of Saturn. The King of Uranus. The Queen of Neptune. The first to descend, the Queen of Earth. The first Time Keeper, the King of Pluto._

_"The strongest and the bravest, the wisest and the noblest of their lines. They saw evil in the hearts of their people. It was only small things; lying, cheating, jealousy…But these little things could lead to much worse. Other systems, older than ours, had fallen to darkness. What was to stop their own people from doing the same?_

_"So wise Mercury and kind Venus, brave Mars and mighty Jupiter, mysterious Saturn and wild Uranus, elegant Neptune and gentle Earth and knowing Pluto came together to speak. They feared for their people, and for their future. Most of all, they feared for their children."_

_"Their children?"_

_Queen Serenity nodded. "They were the ancestors to the Silver Millennium. Their children would become kings and queens of the solar system. They wanted them to be safe, and to be happy. For that desire, they staked their very souls." She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in tender pain. "And I fear they lost that gamble."_

_"What happened?"_

_"Mercury laid the design. It was elegantly simple. There are different levels to space and time, Serenity, different dimensions. All they needed to do was make a bubble between two dimensions, something compact, where they could safely store the evil. He worked for hours, careful to make sure they could contain the evil, to be absolutely certain their endeavor would not fail."_

_The queen opened her eyes, and sighed._

_"It failed."_

_Princess Serenity frowned in thought. "You said there were ten people. I count five men, but only four women. Who was the last?"_

_"The first Queen of the Moon," Queen Serenity explained. "My mother."_

_"My…my grandmother?"_

_"_Hai._ Her true name was Queen of the Moon, but they called her Serenity as a kind of nickname, an endearment between friends. Of them all, she had the purest heart. She warned the others that this was a bad idea. To defeat evil, you must meet it with good. It is a battle that must be fought, not avoided. But they truly believed in their plan, and when they asked her to help them, she looked down at her own daughter, and she could not deny me that one chance to be safe forever."_

_"So she helped them," Princess Serenity guessed. "Did they all die?"_

_"I honestly don't know." Her mother shrugged helplessly. "All their children gathered to watch, but not I. I went into the prayer room. It was there I felt her ripped from me, but I cannot say if she died."_

_"What did the other children see?"_

_"Nothing of use, really," the queen whispered. "Our parents gathered together outside of the sun's pull, so they could be certain we were all safe should something go wrong. The others said that they stood in a circle, hand in hand. They began to glow, at first each with their own color, but then it merged into blindingly white. The space around them…twisted into a knot. Then it came at them._

_"Darkness. Inky black streamed into the center of their light, and seemed to be sucked into that knot. It flowed in, more and more, from the very edges of the universe. Evil came from all sides._

_"Young Saturn told me later that it was my mother who screamed first, but I suppose it does not matter. Suddenly they were all shouting, arguing, some shaking their heads. And then they were gone."_

_"Just gone?" the princess asked._

_"Without a trace," her mother answered. "There was not even a sparkle of light left. Nothing."_

_"But if they put it in a safe place, into a bubble it couldn't escape from, how has it become…what it is?"_

_"That," Queen Serenity sighed, "was because of the stars."_


	43. Chapter 43

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

_A/N: This round of thank you's is extra special. I had kind of a bummer of a week, and your reviews just made it so much better! So thanks to kuyaga (oh, just you wait and see what is coming from the stars), IssaLee (wow! You must have read this whole monster in two days! That shows me you like it a lot!), cardcaptor eternity (I'll explain exactly who the Creature is in a bit, and yes, It still looks like Usagi, just with black hair and eyes) Lysia Croft (Gomen! No Starlights!) and aiisha, who is the only other person on Earth who knows what the Creature is! But you will notice that the Abyss, through Hotaru, has refered to It as _her_, and even given It a name. Check chapter 41._

_I do have one warning! There is a little strong language in this chapter, but it fits, and is not just used to be obscene. _

"What's wrong?" Nephrite asked, touching her face as a tear slid down her cheek.

"You don't love me," Naru said.

"I _do_ love you," he said slowly. "I will always love you. When I met you, I wanted to use you for my own ends. You reminded me what it was to want to protect someone, to want to hold them close and kiss their tears away."

"But you are going to go and kiss someone else's tears away, aren't you?"

Nephrite took one of her hands in both of his. "You don't need me, Naru. You're not in love with me. Why do you want to hold on to the past?"

"You were my prince. You were my dream come true," Naru whispered. "You were my first love. I thought, maybe, you would be my forever."

"First loves are not forever, Naru." Nephrite squeezed her hand tightly. "Trust me. I betrayed my first love, and I hurt her."

"You're princess?" Naru guessed. "The one you said used to live on the moon?"

"_Hai._ In some ways, she was more than a princess." He laughed. "She was a warrior goddess. I loved her, I worshipped her, and I feared her. I feared she would not need me the way I needed her. I feared she would leave me. My fears… took over me. So I did not just wound her. I tried to destroy her."

"Is she the one you love now?"

"_Hai…Iie._" He shook his head. "She is so different it is almost like she is someone else. But she is also so very much the same. We have _both_ changed. The past weighs heavily on us, the good and the bad. But now, maybe, we can build something new, something different. I think now we can be just a man and a woman, and lovers, and partners, and friends."

"I hope so."

He looked up, and Naru smiled tearfully at him. "I will always miss you in some part of my heart. But…I love Umino."

"You should. He will be good for you."

"He is wonderful, in his own way." Naru leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I hope you will meet him some day. I hope you will like him."

Nephrite laughed, and kissed her back. "You tell him, if he ever makes you unhappy he will have me to answer to."

"_Arigato,_" Naru whispered. "For everything, Nephrite."

He squeezed her hand one more time. "_Arigato,_ Naru. You saved my life."

And he let her go.

"But now it is late, and you should be at home. Tokyo is not safe after dark. Go home, Naru."

"Alright." She stood up, and gave him a little bow. "_Sayonara."_

Nephrite sat at the table and watched her walk away. Then he looked up at the sky.

"May I have your blessing, Jupiter, to love your only daughter?"

The silence felt peaceful, and for a moment he could pretend the mighty giant whispered, "_Take care of her, Nephrite._" But planets can not speak, and he rose from the table with no real answer.

He pushed through the bushes, wondering if anyone would still be at the Prince's apartment. He hoped his lord had gone after the Princess. She looked heartbroken when she ran from them. He also hoped everyone else had calmed down a bit.

_I should not have become so angry with Uranus and Neptune. They are only worried about the younger girls. I can't blame th-_

His though was cut short as he spotted something out of place in the grass. A bare foot rested unmoving, the skin frighteningly pale. He followed it to a long leg encased in denim, over a feminine hip, to a familiar green blouse.

His heart stopped. Just beyond that blouse, white as death and wreathed in dark hair, lay Makoto's face.

"_Iie,_" Nephrite whispered, moving closer. His feet slipped, and he fell to his hands and knees. Something slick and warm covered his fingers, and when he held up his hands, they were red.

"_IIE!_"

He grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Jupiter! Makoto! Wake up!"

Her lashes flickered, and a small smile curved her lips. "Nephrite?" she breathed. "Is that you?"

"_Hai,_ Mako-chan. I'm here."

"Good. I wanted to see you one more time. I wanted to tell you…"

"_Nani_?" He ran his hands over her face, her neck, looking for the source of the blood. "You wanted to tell me what, Mako-chan?"

She sighed. "I'm trying to remember, but I'm kind of dizzy…"

Nephrite raised her left arm, and stared. A deep, bloody gouge split the translucent flesh of her inner wrist, leading halfway to her elbow.

"Mako-chan, what have you done?"

"I want to go home, Nephrite. Will you take me home?"

He ripped his shirt open, buttons flying all around them. "Makoto, what did you do? Why?"

"Please, Nephrite. Take me home."

Nephrite wrapped the shirt tightly around her slashed wrist. "I'll take you anywhere you want to go, Mako-chan. Just keep talking to me, alright?"

"But I'm so sleepy…"

"Mako-chan? Jupiter? Please! You are so strong," he moaned. "You can't die. I won't let you."

"Nephrite…"

"_Hai,_ Mako-chan?" he whispered.

"I remember what I wanted to tell you," she sighed.

He brushed her hair back from her face, and looked into her green eyes.

"Tell me. Please."

She smiled, reaching up weakly with her good hand. Her fingers grazed over his cheeks, leaving bloody smudges he did not notice.

"I never stopped loving you."

Nephrite sobbed without shame. "This can't be happening."

"I didn't mean to make you cry," she whispered.

"_Iie,_ love," he said. "It's not your fault."

"Ne…" She paused, gasping for breath. "Nephrite?"

"_Hai?_"

"I'm cold."

He gathered her into his arms, pressing her head to his shoulder. "I have you."

"Will you…will you kiss me? Please?"

She always was beautiful in the moonlight. Nephrite cupped her cheek with one hand, staring down at her, his princess, his goddess, his love. How could he have ever wanted to be anywhere she was not?

"I will kiss you forever," he whispered.

Colds lips. He tried to warm them with his own, tried to force his own life into the frighteningly still body in his arms. Her mouth moved just a bit, the softest of kisses, the faintest roll of distant thunder, the briefest flash of lightning as the storm faded. Then she sighed against his lips.

"Remember me."

Nephrite raised his head a little, his own tears wet on her cheek. "Makoto?"

Her head lolled against his shoulder. Blood streaked his chest, warm, but quickly cooling.

"Mako-chan?"

Her lips did not move. She did not speak.

"Wake up," he demanded.

She did not move.

"Wake up!"

She did not breathe.

"WAKE UP!" he screamed. "DON'T YOU DIE ON ME! DON'T YOU FUCKING DIE ON ME! NOT NOW!"

He shook her savagely, no longer gentle in his desperation.

"WAKE UP! JUPITER, DON'T YOU LEAVE ME!"

She lay still.

"Please wake up! I didn't get to tell you!" he whispered. "I never stopped loving you."

Only silence answered him, the calm after the storm.

"Please," Nephrite whispered. "Mighty Jupiter, please. I love her. I will take care of her. Sweet Queen Serenity, please, send me a miracle."

"_Minna!_"

Nephrite jumped at the sound of Luna's voice. He heard Mercury respond from the region of Makoto's wrist, under his bloody shirt.

"Luna? What is it?"

"Setsuna's gone mad! She's gone after Usagi!"

"_Nani?_" Ami shrieked. "I'm on my way!"

"Minako! Rei! Makoto!" the cat shouted. "Where are you?"

Nephrite fumbled with the little device. "Work, damn you! How does this thing work?"


	44. Chapter 44

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who deigned to review little old chapter 43! IssaLee (let's just say this isn't a good day for Nephrite) kuyaga (yeesh! Little harsh on poor Makoto! And you know, Haruka's house _did_ just blow up…) Lysia Croft (I wanted it to be sad, so I guess I'm kind of glad you were sad) cardcaptor eternity (hold on! We'll get back to them! That part is really important) Elmedir (thanks for the encouragement), and aiisha (I tried to surpass your expectations :-P)_

Blistering heat raced up and down her arms, her legs, her neck and face. But wherever his hands went burned hotter, until she could not understand how her nerves did not just melt down from the pleasure.

_This is it,_ Sailor Mars mused dreamily. _This is how my world ends, in flames and passion…in his arms._

Her fingers twined through his hair, his tongue traced the contours of her mouth, and she fell back onto the grass, dragging him with her.

_This is how we end, Jadeite._

The roaring, freezing gale slammed into the buffer of fire. The flames quelled and shrank. Red twisted, forming a dome around the lovers as the black wind shrieked around them.

"_Nani?"_ Jadeite shouted in alarm. "What is this?"

"The Abyss!" Mars screamed. "Something has happened!"

"Sweet Sol," he whispered. "Has it opened?"

A face reared up out of the dark, gaping holes for eyes, a billion teeth dripping with blood as it roared.

"REI!"

Jadeite threw himself on top of her, shielding her with his body.

"Gods help us!" he yelled.

She wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life.

Iie! _This is not how I want to die!_ she cried inside. _I won't be fodder for evil!_

"Jadeite!" she shouted into his ear. "I can't die this way!"

He pulled back, his blue eyes sharp and determined. "Who says _we_ are the ones who are going to die?"

Grinning, she grabbed him by the back of his neck and dragged him down for a brief kiss. The wind wailed, as though enraged by their love.

"Whatever could I have been thinking?"

"What exactly are we going to do?" Jadeite asked.

Rei shrugged. "What we can. Are you ready?"

"Wherever you go," he promised, "I will follow."

She closed her eyes, focusing again on the flames. "On the count of three, get ready to run!"

Jadeite rolled off her, gathering his legs underneath him. "Ready."

She fed her rage into the fire. "One!"

She fed her determination into the fire. "Two!"

She fed her passion into the fire. "Three!"

The flames reared up, directly into the horrifying face. It screamed as the fire seared it, a screech that threatened to shatter their bones.

Jadeite yanked Mars up, and took off running before her feet found the ground. She staggered, caught up, and held on to his hand as they plunged into ultimate night.

The fire leapt to shield its mistress. It set the ground ablaze before them, pushing the darkness back just enough for one stumbling step after another. The Abyss pressed in on all sides, but Jadeite's hold on her hand tightened, and she fueled the fire with the love coursing between their intertwined fingers.

"You cannot stop us!" Jadeite shouted. "Just give up!"

"YOU WILL BE THE ONES TO GIVE UP!"

"Apparently, it doesn't know us very well!" he laughed.

"THERE IS NOWHERE TO RUN, CHILDREN! WE ARE EVERYWHERE!"

"SHUT UP!" Jadeite shouted back.

"WE WILL NOT DIE FOR YOU!" Mars screamed.

The flames flared, growing brighter, from red to gold to blinding white. She turned and threw her arms around Jadeite, dragging his face down into her shoulder.

"DON'T LOOK!"

_If this is how it ends, I want to be right here, with you._

She felt the heat of the flash, a nuclear furnace of power. Her tears evaporated before they hit her cheeks. Jadeite covered her head with his arms. She heard him praying against her ear.

"Gentle Lord of the Underworld, treat us with compassion."

The screams of the wind cut short. Silence lay across them, and a gentle, cool breeze.

She felt him lift his head, but could not bear to do the same.

"Is it beautiful?"

"_Nani?_"

"The afterlife. Is it beautiful?"

"_Ano…_it looks a lot like where we were two minutes ago, only about three meters away."

"HUH?"

Mars' head shot up from his shoulder, and she looked around in shock. Indeed, they stood in the middle of the street, not far from where they had finished their own battle. The only difference now was the large circle of burnt grass, the smaller trail leading to singed concrete, and the busted light of the streetlamp.

"Wha…How… I don't…"

"The Abyss hasn't opened!" Jadeite cried, throwing his arms around her. "Ow!"

"What's wrong?"

"I think you broke my wrist!"

Mars reached for his wounded arm, then gasped. "_Iie!_"

Jadeite spun to follow her eyes.

The wave of darkness had not been defeated, merely weakened. The black storm still raced off to the south, rippling over houses and through trees.

"Serenity protect us!" Mars moaned. "Come on!"

She seized his hand and they began to run again, this time chasing the evil.

"_Minna!_" Luna's voice shouted.

"Luna? What is it?" Ami answered.

"Setsuna's gone mad! She's gone after Usagi!"

"_Nani?_ I'm on my way!"

"Minako! Rei! Makoto!" Luna cried "Where are you?"

"We have worse trouble!" Minako shouted. "Something escaped from the Abyss!"

"And it's headed south!" Mars added. "Straight towards Haruka and Michiru's—_Kyah_!"

A brilliant flash of turquoise lit the sky. Debris flew through the air in a deafening explosion. The ground shook hard enough to make Mars and Jadeite, two blocks away, stumble.

"_Their house just blew up!_" Mars screamed.

"_Nani?_" Minako yelped.

"Haruka and Michiru's house just blew up, and that darkness is going right over it! It's still going south!"

"That's the direction Setsuna went!" Luna wailed. "Goddess!"

"What do we do, Luna?" Ami asked.

After a long pause, Luna said grimly, "Go after the darkness."


	45. Chapter 45

_Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah._

_A/N: Thanks to cardcaptor eternity (no more sugar for you! But here is the chapter you wanted!) Lysia Croft (love the enthusiasm, but we might be taking your sugar away, too) Elmedir (you think this is tense? Wait till you see the ending!) kuyaga (I can't help the torture, I am cruel like that), and, always, aiisha._

Her blood looked almost black in the moonlight.

Sailor Pluto knelt beside her princess, and touched her torn forehead. More blood darkened her lips, probably from the force of the attack. But her face looked peaceful.

"Good. I do not want her to suffer."

_"Watch over her."_

She jumped, the voice like an ice pick through her brain. Queen Serenity's voice, from so long ago.

"You are dead, my Queen," Pluto said. "Dead through the folly of your own weak heart."

_"I know she is young, but she will be a good Queen someday."_

"Shut up!" Pluto snarled, slamming her staff into the sidewalk. "Leave me be!"

_"Promise me, Pluto. You are the oldest of the Senshi. You must act as the bond between the Outer and the Inner Planets. Keep the Outer Senshi loyal to their princess."_

"She is a fool, just like you!" Pluto shouted to the moon in the sky. "You almost got us all killed!"

_"I know I can trust you, Pluto. You have always been loyal to the Silver Millennium, and a dear friend to me."_

"And what did it get me!" she screamed. "A lonely guardianship over the Gates of Time! A home on the farthest planet from the moon! An unending life of watching over _her,_ protecting _her,_ while I remained alone! _I_ love him, too!"

_"Please, Pluto. I know I have been unkind to you—"_

_"_Iie,_ my Queen. You never forced me into this fate. You only asked it of me."_

_"You did not have to say yes."_

"Of course I did," Pluto whispered to the echo of the past. "How could I say no to you?"

_"If it is too hard for you, if you cannot…I know how you feel about the Prince…"_

"But I loved you more, my Queen." She went to her knees, and stroked back Usagi's hair. "And I love her more. It is just hard, sometimes. But when she looks at him, when she smiles at him…" Pluto smiled. "It is worth it."

_"Will you do this for me? Will you protect her, when I am gone?"_

She felt something warm on her face. Brushing her fingers quickly over her cheek, she was surprised when they came back wet. She stared for a moment.

_Tears._

"Oh, my Queen. My Princess." She buried her face in Usagi's still chest. "My love. Why do _I_ have to choose?"

_"The life of a soldier is never easy, Pluto. But it could be worse." A silvery laugh that broke her heart. "You could be a Queen."_

"I never wanted to be Queen," she moaned. "You always laughed, always sang and played…and you were always so sad."

Pluto raised her head, and took Usagi's still face in both her hands. "I do not envy you. A Queen's life is dedicated not to herself, but to everyone else. If I did this…I would not even be fit to call myself a Sailor Senshi."

She leaned down, gently touched her lips to Usagi's, and sighed breath into her lungs.

The ribs underneath her hands rose, then fell. Another breath passed from Pluto to her princess, and this time she compressed her chest.

"Come on, Princess. You have to live," she ordered. "I promised your mother, and I would never break my word to her."

A third breath, and suddenly Usagi's chest rose on its own. Her lashes flickered fitfully, her eyelids half rising, then falling shut again.

Pluto sat beside her, wiping another tear from her cheek. Her gloves were dirty, and left black streaks down her face. She did not care.

"The Abyss," she whispered. "How did it get to us? We were so careful."

"You were all fools."

She jerked back so hard she almost fell over, and stared up in horror.

Hair swirling around like blood in water, black eyes spinning riotously, It stood over her with a grin of utter madness. It held out marble white arms, and Pluto recoiled automatically. Something moved under Its skin, black maggots squirming just beneath the surface. For a moment, Its face flickered from a parody of Usagi to something monstrous, a gaping mouth and bloody fangs, then back. It laughed when Pluto's eyes landed on what It clasped in Its claws.

"HOTARU!"

Her surrogate daughter lay limp, head back, eyes and mouth slightly open. Not even by a flicker of lashes did she react to Pluto's scream.

"What have you done?"

It giggled, almost childish. "I saved her."

Pluto staggered up. "Give her to me!"

"Now, that would not be wise," It tittered teasingly. "You have been a very bad guardian. I think I would like to keep her."

"Fiend!"

It shrieked with laughter, Its head falling back, Its whole body shaking with mad mirth. "But she's so very sweet!" Its face flashed again. "And delicious!"

"Monster!"

The heavy garnet orb smashed into the side of Its face. Black blood flew through the air, and It dropped Hotaru, cackling even more manically, face beautiful once again.

"What is the matter, Time Keeper?" It cooed. "You seem angry!"

Pluto spun her staff menacingly. "Murderer!"

Her weapon moved faster than any human could follow, but the Creature spun away. Arms over Its head, It kept spinning, round and round, and singing.

"Come dance with us, Time Keeper!" It called.

"I will not," she snarled.

It let Its arms fall to Its sides and pouted. "Why not? I thought you liked dancing to our tune!"

"BITCH!"

The staff flew straight as an arrow, the point leading the way into Its chest. It crumbled in around the weapon, staggering several steps back. Pluto noted with delight as she advanced on her enemy that her weapon had pierced directly through the beast.

The Creature straightened, and grinned. One tiny, white hand, darkness writhing underneath, grasped the silver rod, and began to pull it free. Pluto stopped, shocked. Blood like ink poured down Its dark dress and stained the ground.

"Temper, Time Keeper!" It admonished playfully. "Now you are in all kinds of trouble. I have your pretty staff, and you are empty handed and alone."

"MERCURY SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"

A blast of water slammed into Its back. The Creature tumbled face forward into the street, then rolled, buffeted by streams of silver-blue liquid. The staff clattered to the ground, far from Its reach.

"Mercury!" Pluto cried with relief. "How did you—?"

"Where is the Princess?" Mercury interrupted.

"There!" Pluto pointed. "She's safe and well, I promise."

"What happened to Hotaru?"

Eyes burning, Pluto turned back towards the Creature. "That _thing_!"

The enemy picked Itself up and shook off some of the water. It grinned, turned to Pluto, and took two steps forward. Then It faltered.

"_Iie,_" It whispered, putting a hand to Its face. "Stop."

Its head jerked back, the pretty face snapping into an inhuman expression. "Shut up, Inanna!"

"Stop it! Leave them alone!"

"_IIE!_"

"What in the world?" Mercury whispered, watching It scream at Itself.

It lurched forward, landing on Its knees. The fingers over Its face twisted into claws, then shrank back into Usagi's petite hands.

"I won't let you! I won't let you!" It sobbed. "I have never been beaten by you, not in all the millenia you have tried, and I will not give in now!"

Its face snapped to the side, becoming for a second the horrifying mask Pluto saw earlier. "You belong to us!"

Then back to soft and heart shaped. "I will not give in!"

Its whole body writhed with the maggots of darkness. "You are already dead!"

_"IIE!"_

Black blood flashed, becoming incandescent. Its flesh burned silver, and Its eyes shone gold. The whole body lengthened, growing taller than even Pluto, beautiful hands stretching over Its head towards the stars. Both Senshi fell back, gasping in shock.

The light died, and before them was only the black, negative image of Usagi, cheeks glistening with tears in the starlight.

"What are you?" Pluto demanded.

The Creature looked at them with frighteningly calm eyes. One hand lifted, pointing over their shoulders, to the north. "It is coming.

The Guardian of Time turned to follow her gesture. Behind her, she heard Mercury's stunned voice.

"Oh, shit."

The Abyss fell on them.


	46. Chapter 46

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)

A/N: WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT! It's not Kill Bill graphic or anything, but it is a little icky in places. You have been warned.

_"The stars?" Usagi asked._

_Queen Serenity nodded, her face softly sad. "Everything that begins, little one, ends. Everything that is born, dies. Even our beautiful kingdom fell to ruin. That is just the way our universe is made. Do you understand?"_

_"But that is terrible," Usagi whispered. "Everything we have ever known will one day be no more?"_

_"_Hai,_" her mother said. "But everything that dies must have been, at one point, alive."_

_"I don't understand." Usagi shook her head. "What does this have to do with stars?"_

_"Everything." Queen Serenity looked down at the silver floor, and the solar system reflected in it. "You and the Senshi receive your power from your guardian planets. Has it never occurred to you why?"_

_"Because…you gave that power to us."_

_Serenity smiled. "_Iie._ I am not responsible for _everything,_ you know. Even I first received my power from my mother, who received it from…Well, we don't have time for that. But the Senshi are each tied to a planet that gives them their power, because_ that planet loves them._"_

_Usagi blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? A planet doesn't have feelings."_

_"It does. A planet is a living entity," her mother told her firmly. "And so are stars."_

_"Stars are…alive?"_

_"Very alive. And like everything alive, they will someday die. You see, whenever something dies, even something as tiny as a butterfly, it creates a rift, a tiny fissure where once there was something, but now there is nothing. Do you understand?"_

_"Um…kind of."_

_Queen Serenity smiled. "Don't try to follow it with your head, dear. Follow with your heart."_

_Frowning, Usagi said, "I guess it's like, when someone dies, someone you love, there is a hole in your life."_

_"Precisely. When it is a butterfly, it is a tiny hole. When it is something bigger, like a star, it is a much bigger hole."_

_"A black hole," her daughter breathed._

_"Sometimes_._ A black hole is the remnant of the death throes of a star not ready to die. It is generally a star that died in pain or grief for some reason."_

_"And the Abyss?"_

_Her mother sighed. "So much evil in one space grows a mind of its own. It became a living entity, something cunning and calculating. It became everything our parents tried to stop. And as it learned, it acted on evil's first instinct."_

_"Hatred," Usagi guessed._

_"_Iie,_ my love. Envy." Queen Serenity touched her cheek. "Do you feel that? It is the one thing true evil can never have. Pure, unconditional love. It is what evil fears the most, and what it desires the most. But since it cannot have it, it will destroy it."_

_"And the stars?"_

_"Stars are filled with love. They may burn, but they are gentle and kind. They are the very basis for the existence of life. They are the guardians of their planets and any creatures that may be born there, and though they are not always loved in return, their love never sways."_

_Queen Serenity let her hand drop. "Now, listen to me, darling, because this is important. When a star dies in pain or grief, it leaves a black hole. The Abyss thought to control the holes, but the idea backfired. So it is stuck in a realm of never ending hunger. It consumes everything in its path, but nothing can satisfy it."_

_"Can a black hole be closed?"_

_Her mother pursed her lips. "It is going to be painful, me dear. You are going to have to let go of something that you are not going to want to."_

_Usagi trembled. "I can be strong, Mother. I promise."_

_"I know you can, darling."_

_Queen Serenity took a step toward her, raising her hands towards her daughter's face._

_The sky shattered. The Queen's eyes widened with horror, then exploded. Her flesh unraveled, and her blood sprayed Usagi's face._

_"MAMA!" she screamed._

_"Mama!"_

_The weak echo came from deep within the Abyss. Young face trembling with agony, Chibiusa stretched out a little, bloodied hand through the jaws of evil. "Mama!"_

_Usagi gasped. "Hold on!" she shouted. "I'm coming!"_

_"Serenity, stop!"_

_Bare muscle worked Queen Serenity's bones. She held up her hands to hold her daughter back. "It's not real! It is an illusion from the Abyss!"_

_"Mama!" Chibiusa wailed again. "Mama, it hurts!"_

_Usagi hesitated for only a second, then lunged past her mothe'sr dripping body. "Hang on, Small Lady! Mama's coming!"_

"IIE!"

_Silver light caught her, and spun her back around. Queen Serenity stood whole, her face stern._

_"It is playing with your emotions, Serenity! Look through the lies!"_

_Usagi looked back down. Chibiusa stretched both hands to her._

_"Mama!"_

_"Look through the lies, heir to the Silver Millennium."_

_Closing her eyes, Usagi took a long, calming breath. She looked again. The child was gone._

_Its trap thwarted, the Abyss roared with rage._

_"Mother!"_

_"Listen to me!" Queen Serenity shouted over the chaos. "The only way to close the door to the Abyss is through the star!"_

_"What star?"  
Usagi turned, but all she could see was black._

_"Mother!" she wailed. "What star?"_

_"Everything that lives must die!" Her mother's voice sounded distant, and rang inside her skull. "Return the balance, Serenity!"_

_"Mama!" Nothing but the dark. "Don't leave me!"_

_"Don't be afraid! And don't be sad! Everything must die, but everything will always—"_

_A scream cut through the dark._


	47. Chapter 47

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: In a rush, got to do my thank you's quick! So, thanks to Lysia Croft, cardcaptor eternity, kuyaga, and IssaLee! You guys rock! We're closer to the finish line than y'all might think. I don't remember if it's true in the anime, but in the manga Mamoru/Endymion has some healingabilities._

Sailor Pluto grasped Mercury's arm and flung her down on Hotaru and Usagi. She fell on all three younger girls and held on tight as the darkness hit.

Icy claws seized her and shook her. She felt handfuls of dark green hair ripped from her scalp. Something warm hit her face and lips, something with a copper tang, and she heard Mercury cry out in pain.

"Setsuna!"

"Hold on, Ami!" Pluto shouted.

"AMI-CHAN! AMI-CHAN!" The lilting voices giggled in the darkness. "AMI-CHAN! COME PLAY WITH US!"

"No, thank you!" Mercury shouted.

"SETSUNA-CHAN! COME LET US PLAY WITH YOU!"

Pluto tightened her hold on the others, dragging Mercury closer so she could yell in her ear. "What is this?"

"I don't know! Minako said something escaped from the Abyss!"

The Time Keeper bit her lip as something raked over her back. "Pluto deliver us!"

"Perhaps we shouldn't wait for Pluto!" Mercury advised. "Stay with them!"

"_IIE_!"

Pluto opened her eyes as Mercury pushed herself free. Blue hair flared around her face, and dark blood from her slashed arms, capture by the black wind, swirled around her. She looked fierce, brave, and terrified.

"MERCURY AQUA MIRAGE!"

The silver water encased Mercury in a glow all the more beautiful against the ugly dark. The light danced for a second, then flashed out in all directions.

Darkness fell again, and Sailor Mercury disappeared.

"AMI!"

Pluto surged up, one foot on either side of Usagi and Hotaru's bodies, her staff held across her body. "Do not think I will fall easily," she warned the Abyss.

"WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO FALL! WE WANT TO PLAY WITH YOU! YOUR FLESH, YOUR EYEBALLS, YOUR BLOOD—"

"Enough!" Pluto swung her staff at the shadows. "You are not dealing with a child. Your threats do not frighten me."

"YOU CAN DO NOTHING TO STOP US!" the Abyss hissed. "YOU ARE POWERLESS, NOW!"

"A Senshi is never powerless."

The evil laughed, its mirth shaking the ground until she could barely stand. Then, through the din, she heard something. Her head turned, and her heart hoped.

"Mercury!"

The palest of lights flickered in the dark.

"Cerulean!"

The light grew, blue framing the silhouette of a girl.

"DELUGE!"

A wall of silver-blue light, thick as a liquid, smashed through the darkness. It flooded the street, driving the evil back, and swirling around Pluto and her two charges. Standing easily on the light's surface, Mercury rode the torrent to their sides.

"I hurt it!" she noted happily. "Now you!"

Pluto nodded, hearing again the voice of her Queen.

_"Be careful, Pluto. If this attack is used incorrectly, it may very well kill you."_

But her choices had gone from slim to none. The other Senshi had awoken their most powerful attacks, and now it was her turn.

"PLUTO." She whispered the words, her voice echoing hollowly.

"UNDERWORLD." Her staff pointed down, and dark purple energy crept up through the waters.

"ASCENDANCE."

A deep, powerful throbbing, just under the level of hearing, but felt throughout the body, made the energy pulsate. It gained speed, the light flashing faster and brighter. The darkness recoiled, trying to escape. Pluto grabbed Mercury's arm and dropped them both into a crouch. The pair held onto each other as the power let out a single, sustained roar, and spears of light stabbed up, into the darkness.

A terrible scream, too high for human ears but threatening to shatter their skulls, silenced their cries in their throats. Pluto clutched the younger girl so hard she felt Mercury's flesh come free under her own nails, and knew she would leave gouges down her arms. More vaguely, she felt Mercury biting her shoulder in terror, her tears wet on Pluto's neck.

As suddenly as the attack began, it ended. Silence returned, leaving their whole bodies trembling. It took them several seconds before they could loosen their grips on each other enough to look around.

The night sky shone overhead, stars twinkling pleasantly, the moon bright and almost full. The street stood peaceful, the only sign of struggle the broken lamp over their heads. No one looked out their window. Nothing moved. All seemed well.

Mercury rose shakily, her water-light sparkling into dimness. "Is it gone?"

"I don't know," Pluto muttered, not abandoning her post over her princess and her daughter. "There was still so much evil left, even after your attack…"

"But _your_ attack was so powerful! I don't think anything— Ah!"

Pluto spun towards her, only to receive a hard blow to the chest. She was airborne for several seconds, then the back of her head connected hard with the pavement. Red stars danced in her vision, and her lashes fluttered uncertainly. The sharp pain in her head made her sick. She wanted nothing more than to lie still for a moment, but a new pain brought her crashing back to consciousness.

A slender garrote of darkness struck, wrapping around Pluto's throat and lifting her off her feet. She dangled, kicking wildly, her fingers trying to grasp shadow, but meeting only her own flesh. She heard something hiss and laugh against her ear.

"We do not fall easily, either, Time Keeper!"

She twisted in its hold, and saw a black blade slashing at Mercury, who barely managed to avoid it. Other shards of darkness danced around, some forming hammers, some deadly stilettos or daggers, some even becoming whips. Several slashed at Pluto as she hung at their mercy, unable to even dodge.

"_Kyah!_"

Something red flashed before her eyes, and one of the blades shattered. Mars turned and kicked again, smashing another shadow. Jadeite moved at her side, his dagger slicing a stiletto in half. Her smile was victorious as Mars turned to rescue Pluto.

It changed when the tiny shards of broken shadow flew at her like so many miniature razors. She tried to push through them, but they slashed at her eyes, blinding her. She stumbled back into Jadeite, whose face was already covered in red.

The thread of evil around Pluto's throat slowly tightened, and she felt her blood begin to trickle out from under it. In horror she realized it did not intent to strangle her. It was going to cut her head off.

_Iie! Not like this!_

Flailing with desperation, she tried to make her voice work, to yell some kind of attack, anything, to free herself. The garrote cut deeper, turning the trickle into a flood. Her eyes felt like they would burst, and still the shadow tightened.

"Watch out!"

Venus flew past Pluto's bewildered eyes. It took her a moment to realize the golden Senshi was trapped by an equally vicious filament of darkness, only it had her by her wrist. The blonde tried to strike with her golden heart chain, but the shadow spun her around twice and released her. She soared through the air, crashed into a building, and tumbled down. Kunzite barely managed to catch her in his arms, where she lay limp.

_My Queen! Help us!_

Her eyes grew dim. Her heart threatened to explode. Her lungs heaved against the hold on her throat. Pluto felt her body dying.

_Please!_ she whispered in her head. _Please…_

The world burst into white light. Pluto felt it sear her skin for a second, then her feet hit the ground. She tumbled forward onto her hands and knees, closing her eyes against the radiance. Instead of a scream or a roar, for a split second she thought she heard music.

The heat faded, and she carefully opened her eyes. Something floated above the sidewalk, a human figure, burning with an almost phosphorescent light, bright as a star. The Senshi, in various levels of crouching or kneeling, somewhat disheveled but no longer baring any wounds, stared in wonder.

The figure slowly lowered to the ground. The light faded, and Usagi looked around at them all through eyes as calm and clear as Queen Serenity's ever were. She smiled. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed beside Hotaru.

"Princess!"

Kunzite reached her first. He pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, and sighed with relief.

"She's alive."

"What about Hotaru?" Mercury asked, touching the child's face. "I think… _Hai!_ She's breathing!"

"Thank the gods, everyone is alright," Kunzite muttered.

Mars jumped as though she had been shot. "Haruka! Michiru!"

"What about them?" Pluto asked.

"Setsuna, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but your house blew up."

"_NANI?_"

"And I think Haruka and Michiru were in it, so we'd better—"

A voice cut Mars off, exploding from her wrist.

"—THE FUCK DOES THIS THING WORK!"

Everyone jumped, and she brought the communicator towards her mouth with a confused frown.

"Nephrite?"

"Mars! Bless Sol!"

"Nephrite, we have a bit of an emergency right now."

"Makoto is dying!"

She gasped. "_Nani_? How?"

"She's bleeding to death, and I can't stop it! Help me!"

Venus reached over and grabbed Mars' wrist, yanking it close enough to speak to him herself.

"Where are you?"

"In the park!"

"Alright!" Venus turned and started pointing. "Setsuna and Rei, go help Haruka and Michiru. Jadeite, get Hotaru back to Mamoru's apartment. Can we wake Usagi up? We need her to heal Makoto!"

Kunzite knelt beside the princess, lightly slapping her cheek as he said, "The Prince has healing abilities as well."

"Luna!" Venus shouted into her own communicator. "Is Mamoru awake?"

"I'm here!" Mamoru's voice called.

"We can't wake Usagi up! Head to the park and help Nephrite! Ami and I are on our way there!"

"What about me?" Kunzite demanded.

Everyone was already moving. Venus shouted over her shoulder, "Go with Jadeite! Get Usagi to safety! Then meet us in the park!"


	48. Chapter 48

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Wow, this thing is about ten thousand times longer than I ever thought it would be. I used to see those fics with 40 chapters and wonder what the heck was wrong with those authors! Now I understand _them_, but I'm wondering just how crazy the readers are! Oh well, I've always liked crazy people. On that note, thank you to Lysia Croft (it's about time you guys noticed the new attacks:-P) cardcaptor eternity (ah, just go with it) IssaLee (yeah, I kinda forgot about Makoto for a little bit, too. Oops!) kuyaga, ( you got a sick sense of humor! I like it!) and, as always, aiisha. But if you don't send in a review for this chapter, no more thank you's for you, girlie! _

Stumbling over the curb, the Creature fell to Its knees. Its head fell forward, and It wept.

_Who am I? What am I? Am I a monster? Am I anything?_

Hands flexed, and claws appeared.

_Are these mine? Where did they come from? They have not always been there, have they?_

It ran Its hands over Its face, claws opening fragile flesh, golden blood mixing with tears.

_This is not my face! These are not my hands! This is not my body!_

Black hair was ripped from Its head, some still attached to bloody, glowing pieces of scalp.

"Not mine! Not me!" It wailed. "WHO AM I?"

_"Mother?"_

"No!" It moaned.

_"Mother? Is something wrong?"_

"No!"

_"Mother, what are you doing? Mother? Mother!"_

"NO!"

Handfuls of flesh splattered the walls of a building. The shadows fled from the radiance as Its blood ran in rivers. It dug deep, trying to rip out Its soul, rip out the pain.

"PLEASE!" It screamed. "Please! Not my daughter! Not my sons! Not my babies!"

_"Mother, stop! I'm frightened!"_

"Sh!" It crooned, sinking to the ground, arms around Its tattered body as if It held a child. "Don't be frightened! Mama's here, and she'll take care of you!"

_"MOTHER!"_

"Hush," Inanna whispered, rocking back and forth. "Don't cry. Your mother is always going to be with you. She would never harm you. So sleep now, and be safe, my darlings, my precious ones, my beautiful children."

Wrapped in memories dark, terrible, agonizing, and precious, Inanna did not care if the Abyss found her. She wanted only to be with the echoes of her children, to remember what it was like before she became something to be feared and hated. She stroked her own face the way she would have touched her children, and she began to sing.

All over Tokyo, restless sleepers stilled. Frightened children calmed, and their tears dried. They smiled and rolled over in their beds, warm, as though their mother held them. Nightmares changed into dreams strange and wonderful, that left the dreamer peaceful, though sad in the morning that they could not remember what they had dreamt. Rage cooled, sadness stilled, and somewhere in the dark of a city and a grief-maddened mind, a tiny flicker of hope began to burn.

_yra: Okay, I've got a challenge. With finals and a lot of other, stressful things going on, my brain is not poetic enough to write Inanna's lullaby. So who wants to do it for me? If you come up with something pretty, e-mail it to me, and if it fits, I'll use it! It has to have the words: stars, beautiful, and children. Otherwise, go nuts._


	49. Chapter 49

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

The music was beautiful. She did not want to open her eyes, but a voice kept interrupting.

"Haruka! Can you hear me?"

Another voice joined, calling out another name. "Michiru! Where are you?"

She felt herself sinking again into that song. It sounded almost familiar, like a lullaby.

The voices jarred her again.

"Rei! Do you see them?"

"_Iie_! Do you think they're alright?"

A deep breath was taken from somewhere nearby. "They have to be."

Something shifted close to her head, and her eyes opened halfway. The moonlight looked lovely, and for a moment seemed to dance with the stars, waltzing to that song.

"Pretty," she muttered.

"Haruka?" The first voice rose excitedly. "Where are you?"

_Haruka? Who is that? Oh, right. Me. And that voice is…_

"Set—" She choked on a mouthful of dust, and began to cough. "Setsuna?"

"Haruka! Rei! I found her!"

Her eyes opened fully, then closed as she groaned. Her head pounded, her back ached, and one of her arms felt strange, numb. A glance through her lashes showed her a quick glimpse of the bathtub, before the pain forced her eyes closed again.

"Setsuna?" she called weakly. "Was I drinking?"

A loud crash made her groan, and lift the hand she could feel to her head.

"Drinking?" Setsuna's voice was high with worry. "What do you mean?"

"My head is killing me, I can't remember how I got here, and I'm in the bathroom."

"The… _what?_"

"The bathroom."

"Haruka, you are not in the bathroom!"

She frowned in thought. "Have to be. Can see the bathtub from here."

Light hit her face as something crashed again.

"Haruka, open your eyes!" Setsuna demanded. "Look around you!"

Groaning, Haruka did as her friend commanded. She looked around, and blinked. She blinked again. A third blink, and still nothing made sense.

She was lying on her back, staring _up_ at the bathtub. The basin, in fact, seemed to be balancing precariously on a set of boards, which in turn appeared to be resting on Hotaru's bed. To the left she saw rubble and broken glass. To the right she saw a busted timber on top of a bloodied, severed arm.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

Boots appeared, then Setsuna's face. "Calm down! We'll get you out of here!"

"A hand!"

She looked over. "That's your hand," she said, in a voice lacking far too much interest in Haruka's mind.

"My hand's been cut off?" Haruka shouted.

"_Iie, baka!_ You're fine, if I can get this wood off you. Now would you stop yelling?"

"What happened to our house?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Setsuna replied. "Rei says she saw a bright flash of light, and then the house blew up. Was Michiru with you?"

Haruka froze, her mouth half opened, her mind a million miles away.

_Knife. Blood. Light. And then…Gods above!_

"Michiru!"

She tore at the beam on top of her arm wildly. Setsuna hurried to help her, levering it up just enough for Haruka to pull herself free. A quick glance showed the arm to be bruised and bleeding, still encased in the glove of a Sailor Senshi uniform, but not even broken. Already feeling was returning.

"What happened?" Setsuna asked, helping her to stand. "Be careful!"

"I don't know!" Haruka told her. She tried to climb over the rubble, but slid back down. "How did you get to me?"

"Over here!"

Holding her hand, Setsuna led her over a broken door, the busted remains of Michiru's wardrobe, and various other unidentifiable objects. Haruka stumbled and slipped, alternately cursing her weakness, ordering her legs to work properly, and praying Michiru was alright.

"Careful," Setsuna repeated as they struggled out into the open. "Rei! Have you found anything?"

Not far from them, in her Sailor uniform but barefoot, Rei flipped over a piece of wood, her face tense. "No sign of Michiru. Is Haruka okay?"

"I'm fine," Haruka snapped, heading towards her. "What are you doing? This isn't a safe place to go without shoes!"

"It also isn't a safe place for heels," Rei told her, shoving broken glass aside. "And a cut foot is better than a broken neck."

Haruka chose a different path, and Setsuna a third. All three girls hunted desperately through the wreckage, occasionally calling out. No answer came.

"Michiru!" Haruka snarled, throwing a board through the air.

"Watch it!" Rei shouted, catching the board and throwing it towards the grass. "Unbelievable. Not even an explosion can wake people up anymore! The Abyss has to be stopped."

"The Abyss can wait for Michiru!" Haruka shouted. "We don't need anyone else to interfere with Sailor Senshi business! Keep looking!"

Rei muttered something, but dug further into the debris. "Michiru? Please, answer us!"

Combing through the wreckage of their lives, Haruka's fingers hit something. She pulled free a snapshot, a silly photo from a printclub. The Senshi, in a silly mood, had discovered with a little luck and a lot of intimacy, it was possible to fit nine girls into a photo booth. Everyone was laughing, Hotaru's eyes were closed, and Minako was sticking her tongue out. Her face half turned from the camera, her eyes with that special wild look that no one but Haruka truly knew, Michiru held on to her lover's neck for balance. Seconds after the flash, half the group had tumbled out of the curtain and onto the sidewalk, followed by a stream of shrieks and giggles.

"We're a team. We're a family. We can't be _us_ without all of us. We can't be _us_ without her. We'll find her."

Haruka tucked the picture into her uniform, and smiled a little up at Rei. "_Hai._ So we'd better keep at."

The younger girl squeezed her shoulder, then turned back to her own search.

For the longest half hour of Haruka's life they hunted, their calls for Michiru softening to little pleas, begging her to just give them a clue, a sign, anything.

At last Setsuna sighed, hugging one of Hotaru's teddy bears to her chest. "I don't understand it. She _has_ to be here!"

Haruka paused as well, kneeling, one hand over her face. She tried to keep the tears behind her lashes, to keep the hopelessness back. It couldn't end like this.

Behind her, she heard Rei shift something, and scream.

"I found her!"

Later, Haruka could not recall how she got to Rei's side, or how they got Michiru free. But she would always remember how pale Michiru's face looked, and how dark the blood at her hair line was. Trembling, she reached out a hand towards that beautiful face, and paused, just above her skin.

_What if she doesn't answer? What if her eyes never open again? What will I do?_

Pale lips moved, and Michiru sighed.

"Gods!"

Haruka collapsed, her face buried in Michiru's breast, her arms around her body. She did not care who saw her cry. She did not care about anything but the soft sound of air going into Michiru's lungs.

"What… where am I? Have we been drinking?"

Haruka raised her face to her lover's, and shook her head. "No. Can't you remember?"

Those beautiful aquamarine eyes stared at her in confusion for a long moment, then Michiru said slowly, "Did we… did we blow up the bathroom?"

"Actually, we blew up the house."

Michiru gasped, struggling to sit up. Haruka helped her, and Michiru leaned on her shoulder as she looked at the remains of their house.

And then she burst out laughing.

Haruka stared as Michiru fell over backwards, laughing and laughing, her whole body shaking. Tears streamed down her face, and she clutched a side that was probably bruised, but she continued to roar with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Haruka demanded.

Michiru gulped down a breath, trying to speak. "I, hehe! I went after you with a knife, and you tried to stab me with your sword, and I hit you with the mirror, and you called me a bitch, and I called you a whore, and I threw Deep Submerge at you, and you threw World Shaking at me, and then… and then we blew up the house!" She put her hands over her face to drown out the giggles.

Taking Michiru by the shoulders, Haruka shook her a little. Had the shock of what they had done destroyed her lover's mind?

"Michiru!"

The hands fell away, and Michiru grinned up at her. "And the whole time, neither of us meant any of it!"

Haruka stared at her, then fell beside her laughing. Michiru rolled across the grass to face her, and they lay there, holding hands and giggling together like little girls.

A choked sound brought their heads around, to see both Setsuna and Rei looking at the sky or ground respectively, grins pulling at their mouths. This sent the lovers back into hysterics, bringing their friends with them.

"Shut up!" Rei shouted, falling to her knees, her shoulders shaking with giggles. "We have to get back to Mamoru's apartment!"

"You go ahead!" Michiru called. "We'll catch up!"

Setsuna just sat down, her head back, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You two are awful!"

"That's not what you said fifteen minutes ago!" Michiru and Haruka chorused, breaking into another round of mirth.

"I am not going to ask," Rei announced, climbing to her feet. "Where are my shoes?"

As she went off to find her heels, and Setsuna tried to regain control of herself, Haruka stumbled to her feet, and took Michiru's hand to help her up.

"Can you walk to Mamoru's?" Haruka asked.

Michiru dropped her head onto Haruka's shoulder. "I'll go anywhere you go. You know that."

Haruka put her arm around her waist and hugged her. "You and me, forever and ever."


	50. Chapter 50

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Just something little for now…The song used in this is actually something I wrote six months ago, that fit very nicely. Thanks go to Lokileysmith (yeah, the house is pretty much a lost cause), Lysia Croft (don't worry, I still love you even if you can't write poetry, it's not my strong point, either), aiisha (hehehehe…), cardcaptor eternity (it's about time someone went hysterical, Michiru just happened to fit the bill) and IssaLee (thank you for the lullaby, it is beautiful)_

Everyone looked exhausted. Mamoru paused in the doorway as Nephrite walked past, bearing his beloved Emerald … whatever the whole title was, into the bedroom. Poor Makoto would live, though her arm would hurt like hell when she woke up. Mamoru had done what he could for her, but he was no Moon Princess.

Thinking this, he turned towards where his Usako lay. Jadeite had lain little Hotaru on the other couch, and both looked almost wasted. His Shitennou had tried to wake the girls several times, but they slept on, their faces reassuringly serene.

Mamoru sank to his knees beside Usagi and looked around. The girls had not even morphed back into their civilian clothes. In one corner, Minako stood in the circle of Kunzite's arms, her cheek on his chest, her eyes closed. Jadeite sat on the floor, his back against the wall, his face in his hands. Ami wandered towards the kitchen, her expression somewhat dazed. Luna and Artemis muttered together, their feline faces concerned.

"What a night," Mamoru muttered, touching Usagi's hair. "What happened to everyone? What happened to _you_? Where are you right now?"

"_Konichiwa, minna._"

Haruka supported Michiru through the door, their faces strangely peaceful, almost content. Setsuna and Rei followed them in, each smiling somewhat sleepily. Rei branched off, walking over to Jadeite. She collapsed between his knees, leaning back into him and closing her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist, put his chin on her shoulder, and followed suit.

"Are you two alright?" Mamoru asked Michiru and Haruka.

The lovers looked at each other and smiled. "We're fine," Michiru reassured him. "What about Hotaru?"

"She's sleeping."

Setsuna leaned over the back of the couch to brush a lock of hair from her daughter's face. "Poor baby. What did that thing do to her?"

"I think," Michiru began slowly, "the Abyss got to her, too. When Haruka and I… she acted strange. She was calm, cheerful, not at all worried that we were trying to kill each other. That's not like Hotaru."

"But why would the Creature attack her, and then not kill her?" Setsuna sighed, and leaned her face into her hands. "I wish something would make just a little sense."

"It will when we talk to that beast." Haruka's voice was cold, deadly. "It is going to tell us what exactly is going on."

Mamoru glanced at Setsuna, then away, unable to meet her eyes, unsure if her earlier declaration had been the Abyss talking, or if…

"Everyone is safe for now," he murmured. "We're all…wait a minute. Where's Zoisite?"

There was a long moment of silence, then a gasp.

"I'll be right back!"

Ami ran past the three Outer Senshi, slamming the door behind her.

"I'm too tired to even wonder what happened," Haruka announced. "And we have no house to go home to. We're crashing out on your floor, Mamoru."

"I'll get you some blankets," he offered, standing up.

Michiru made a gesture for him to stay. "We know where they are."

"You two could use a shower," Setsuna added with a little smile.

Haruka grinned, opening her mouth, but Michiru held up a warning finger. "Quiet! Let's just get the blankets, and worry about showers tomorrow."

"But I promise I'll be good," Haruka told her coaxingly. "I just want to watch!"

Michiru caught her by the arm and dragged her off, giving her a quiet lecture about things that probably should not be said in front of _everyone._

Setsuna smiled after them, then looked down at Mamoru. "Can I speak to you in the kitchen? Just for a moment."

He hesitated, but her eyes looked so hurt that at last he agreed. She led the way, and he followed.

_…What would you do…_

_…If I told you I love you…_

Setsuna picked up a tea cup nervously, staring at it as thought it might offer her all the answers to her questions. But it lay cold and dead in her fingers, the design blurred by tears she would not shed. She tried to look up at Mamoru, but found she couldn't.

"I just thought," she whispered, "you might want to ask me…something."

_…You could hate me…_

_…Despise me…_

_…Just don't turn your eyes from me…_

Mamoru watched as she played with the cup. Did she want him to ask, or was this a subtle way of trying to drop the subject? Women confused him.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

_…I know I shouldn't speak so boldly…_

Her hands shook, the cup clattering on the counter when she tried to put it down gently. So many things, built up over so many thousands of years, and he had opened the door. If she told him, would it make everything better? Would it make it easier to live with?

"Tonight, what I said to you… it was true."

_…But just for tonight…_

_…Will you hold me…_

He felt like he should have shouted, looked shocked, something more than the calmness that overflowed him. In so many ways, so many things suddenly made sense. They were such little things, things one never would have thought strange. Just the occasional smile, a little more warm than maybe it should be. The touch of longing in her eyes when he held Chibiusa. Even the pained look when she spoke of Crystal Tokyo and the future.

"Setsuna…"

_…What will I say…_

_…If you push me away…_

"Stop." She held up one hand, her eyes closed, still unable to look at him. "Please stop. I know what you're thinking. I know why you can never… I just thought that a little honesty, after so long, would make it better. But if you start to tell me all the reasons why you love her, why it can't be me… If you tell me why it's my duty to forget my feelings, to freeze up like some black snowflake…"

_…Will I break…_

_…Will I cry…_

_…I think I would die…_

_…If you acted coldly…_

"I wasn't going to say that."

Mamoru hesitated, then touched her, his fingers just barely brushing her shoulder.

"You're a human being, Setsuna. You have as much right to feel as… as Haruka has the right to love Michiru, or—"

"Or she has the right to love you?"

_…So for just one night…_

…_Will you hold me…_

Her damp lashes clung together, but Setsuna forced her eyes opened. She forced herself to look into his face. She owed him that much for what she was doing to him.

"For so long I wondered, what if? What if I had been there first? What if she had obeyed the laws? What if I were the one you kissed, the one you loved? What if I was Small Lady's mother? Sometimes, when Pluto is very dark, and the Gates are quiet, my mind can't help but wander.

"Yes, I have imagined myself in the gown of the Queen, in her crown, holding her scepter, holding her child, holding her husband… Because I have always loved you, and I love your daughter."

"I never said anything, and I never really thought about why. But when I held her life in my hands, I couldn't take from her everything I had ever wanted. Because I love her more than I have ever loved you."

Setsuna managed a smile. "I think that is something you can understand."

_…I won't ask for too much…_

_…All I need is your touch…_

_…I just need your warmth…_

Something in her pain made him reach out. She relaxed so easily into his embrace, her forehead falling to his shoulder, and her whole body shook on her sigh.

"Mamoru…Endymion..."

Her voice caught. He tightened his grip on her, stroking her hair. He wished he could stop the tears soaking his shirt, but there was nothing he could do.

"More than anything," she whispered, her breath warm on his shoulder, "I just wanted to know what it was like to be loved by someone with their whole heart."

_…Your caresses…_

_…Your kisses…_

_…I just want to know what love is…_

_…Please, can't you show me…_

She pulled back, and looked into his face. He stared back, uncertain, almost afraid.

Mamoru shook his head. "I cannot give you what you want."

"You could," she breathed. "I am not asking for your heart. You cannot give me that. I just want… a moment of your time."

"Setsuna—"

_…And just for one night…_

_…Won't you hold me…_

"Please!" she begged.

_…I know that you love her…_

"Just for a moment. Let me be your everything for _one second_."

…_I won't try to take you from her…_

"Please, my love, for my sake, open your heart to me just this once."

…_She is your world…_

"Please, Endymion." She leaned closer, so close he could see himself reflected in her eyes. Was that how she saw him? Why did she want him? Why did she love him? Why did Usako love him?

_Why does anyone love anyone?_ he thought. _Does it matter why?_

"Please."

_…I won't stay too long…_

_…I know I don't belong…_

Setsuna's mouth trembled, and her cheek burned where he cupped her face with one hand. She closed her eyes, deathly afraid he would leave her in that moment. If his arm was not around her, she thought she might crumble to the ground. She felt his breath on her lips for a second, and then…

_…I know that it's wrong…_

_…I know, you have told me…_

_…But just for a little while…_

Mamoru kissed her.

_…Can't you please hold me…_

Time froze. Her heart stopped. The world disappeared. Her whole body sang with the light pressure of his lips. Her fingers fluttered against the back of his neck, almost afraid to rest against his skin. Afraid to touch him.

Because he did not belong to her.

_…Hold me…_

_…Just for my sake…_

_…Won't you hold me…_

Setsuna's lips were warm, and very sweet. Different from the only other lips he had ever kissed, but still a thrill shot through his body. He deepened the kiss just a little, and for a moment he, too, wondered.

If he had not seen Serenity… If Pluto had come to him first, so beautiful, so graceful, so tender… If the past had been different… What would the future be?

But the picture would not come, because his heart could not see it. No golden hair fanning in the breeze, no radiant smile of absolute sweetness, no blue eyes full of childish laughter, no woman-child strong, sure, powerful and gentle, no innocence, no passion, no moonlight, no Usako. His heart rejected the very notion, sickened at the bleakness of such a world.

His lips left Setsuna's, and he looked at her gently.

"There is no life for me without her," he explained. "Even if I had met you first, and her later, it would have ended the same."

Setsuna smiled, and kissed his cheek. "_Arigato,_ my prince."

"For what?"

"For being… her prince."

Mamoru glanced towards the living room, thinking hard. "Usako is still asleep. She doesn't need me right now."

She closed her eyes, and rested against his shoulder again. "Just until she wakes."

_…What would you do…_

_…If I told you I love you…_


	51. Chapter 51

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)

A/N: I am very, very tired at this moment. I am working more than I ever have, I am trying to keep my house cleaned, and there have been some emotional upheavals recently around here. Hence the complete lack of updates. _Gomen._ I will try and wrap this monster up in the near future, if I ever have a free moment to myself again. I make no excuses for this chapter. It's fluffy, it's pointless, I'm sleepy. I was going to do it as an independent fic for Jupiter and Nephrite, but again with the sleepiness and the lack of energy, so it got stuck in here. I swear at least two more chapters up by Sunday night, actually moving the plot forward, or you can all review and call me a dirty liar. Also, an explanation for the last chapter: Setsuna has been pining for Endymion for over a thousand years, she deserved to get it off her chest. It was meant to be a sweet moment between two old friends, nothing more. Thanks go to Lysia Croft (I really am going to wrap this up soon, one last battle is coming up, and a lot of tears,) cardcaptor eternity (no sex for Setsuna), IssaLee (thank you! you got it!) kugaya (yeah, we love Haruka and Michiru), oxostardustoxo (it kinda turned into another season, didn't it?) SailorKagome (that's so sweet!) MoonBunny777 (okay, I admit it, it was a little weird) Cereberus (no! don't hate Setsuna! we can't help who we love!) Wow, that was really long. Now for the actually chapter.

_"The scent of magic, the beauty that's been, when love was wilder, than the wind…"_

_She ran._

_The branches of the tree clutched at her long hair, but she pushed through them, diving further into the woods. She heard the footsteps behind her. She grasped a thick shrub to swing around, and instead of heading north, she was running west, towards the setting sun._

_The steps were growing closer. Somehow, he knew her every move, and followed her. Her heart hammered as she came suddenly to a break in the trees. A small meadow, a dangerous choice. She could go around, but that would take more time. To cut across would be quicker, at a risk._

_He drew nearer, until she heard his laboring breath along with the pounding of his feet. She chose, and dashed out into the meadow._

_Within five steps she knew he had seen her. A muffled shout urged her onward. She vaulted over a small depression, pushing herself harder through the pinks, blues, and greens of the wild flowers. Just ahead was the safety of the trees and the shadows. Just ahead…_

_"_Iie!_"_

_Arms seized her around the waist, and lifted her high into the air. A roar of triumph sounded from her captor._

_"Let me go!" she shrieked._

_"You'd be more convincing if you stopped grinning!" he growled against her ear._

_She laughed, her head falling back, her chest heaving. "You brute! Put me down!"_

_"Now why in the name of the Moon would I do something silly like that? I won, didn't I?" He held her tighter. "Do you not remember our terms, Princess?"_

_"I almost won!" she muttered, playfully pouting over her shoulder._

_He let her gently onto her feet. She spun around and leapt back into his arms._

_"I thought you wanted to be down!"_

_"I just wanted to hold you, too," she murmured against his lips._

_Sweat made their kiss salty, and their love made it sweet._

_He began to spin. She shrieked and laughed, her feet flying out behind her, the world a whirl of flowers and sunset around them. Unconcerned for danger, she closed her eyes and kissed him again, melting into him while they spun around and around under the blue sky._

_Perhaps his knees gave out, or perhaps the grass was just too inviting. They tumbled to the ground, rolling over each other, trusting and happy as children. Their laughter danced up into the sky as they kissed, tiny caresses over each other's faces, the wind bending the flowers down until they brushed over the back of her head._

_"You are so amazing," he whispered. "Like a goddess."_

_"_Aishiteru,_" she murmured as she prepared to kiss him again, and forever._

_"I love you, too. I will never love anyone else. _We_ are eternal."_

_In the gathering dark, the sweet wind caressed them, and she believed…_

The first thing she felt when she woke, before even opening her eyes, was the pain.

It flared up her left arm, fiery agony that made her grit her teeth and breathe slowly. In through the nose, out through the mouth, and she focused her attention not on the tortured limb, but on the warmth cradling her body.

The ache faded to a corner of her consciousness, and she tried to understand in her mind the source of the heat. Something seemed wrapped around her, something blissfully warm and soft, something that breathed against her face. Carefully, almost afraid, she opened her eyes and looked.

A dark blue shirt was under her cheek and hand. Looking further up, she saw a long stretch of tanned neck, a firm chin, and just beyond that, a tumble of dark curls.

Makoto pushed herself up. She did not even wince at the pain in her arm as she stared down into that face, so beautiful in sleep, so peaceful and gentle.

_Nephrite? What are we doing here?_ She looked around. _Where are we?_

The green jacket on the desk chair answered her question. Only Mamoru would wear that ugly thing. They must be in his apartment. As she came more awake, and the spinning in her head began to slow, she heard voices she knew and loved through the door. But the room swayed, and she did not bother sorting them out. She heard one say something to put her heart at ease.

"At least everyone is safe."

_Safe._ Such a sweet word, as she lay back on his chest. He was her safety, until the end of time.

He sighed and stirred. "Mako-chan?"

Another sweet word, especially on his lips.

"I'm awake," she whispered. "But I don't think I can stay… The room keeps moving."

A hand curved around the back of her head. "Lay still. You lost a lot of blood."

Blood. Glass. His voice calling her.

"Did you mean it? Did you really never stop loving me?" she murmured into his shirt.

"_Hai._" He combed his fingers through her messy hair. "We are-"

"Eternal." She smiled. "I know. The Abyss must have…I would never…"

He chuckled softly. "That is something I am happy to hear, my love."

She smiled as well. "Wake me up when we have a plan to destroy the Abyss."

"I promise." Nephrite smiled as her eyes closed. "And I will never break my promise to you again."

_The flashback/dream bit was inspired by a line from the Roxette song,_ Listen to Your Heart.


	52. Chapter 52

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: In the immortal words of Han Solo, "_IT'S NOT MY FAULT!_" I tried to get this up Sunday, but it wouldn't let me log on for almost a week! Gomen! Anyway…Thanks to Lysia Croft (oh, yes, bad things and sad things are coming before it's done) cardcaptor eternity (short but sweet, I love that) FadeEclipse (don't encourage the muses!) and IssaLee (I love the way your mind works! But maybe he doesn't look exactly like Endymion…hmm. What's his name?) Everyone just hold on, the end is in view. You might need binoculars, but it's there._

The darkness came at her, slashing, ripping, clawing, biting, and _screaming._

She spun, her hands groping through excruciating nothingness for anything to catch, anything to be used as a shield from the pain and the terror. The voices roared through her head, building into a crescendo of horror that she could not escape.

They wanted to hurt her. They wanted to rape her. They wanted to _devour_ her.

_Someone help me!_

She had a family who loved her, who she loved. They would want her back. They would come for her.

_Wouldn't they?_

She tried to hold on to the ones she loved, but they melted away. Their faces slipped through her fingers, their voices turned into the screams of the Abyss. She could not remember their names.

_Someone find me. Someone remember me._

The darkness was too deep. The pain was too much. She could not take it. _Too much, too much_, and her last tenuous grip on her soul began to slip. The Abyss laughed with delight, eager to taste all of her.

Then, something changed.

Something grabbed the Abyss, and with a roar more fearsome than even the dark, something pulled. The black cracked, and the Abyss released her, dragged away from her, claws leaving bloody rips in her mind. But her soul was still her own.

_Where am I?_

The Abyss shrieked as something sucked it into a maw of twisting shadows and light. Something tortured and anguished, something cruelly tender, inhaled the darkness, and left her battered, beaten, and whole.

_Who are you?_

More voices, but these voices did not hurt her, even when they became angry. These voices she loved, though she could not remember who they were.

She floated somewhere between the world and the dark. When the screams came again she was not frightened. Warmth surrounded her. Her family had come into the dark to find her, as she knew they would. The Abyss could howl all it wanted. It could not hurt her anymore.

The blinding flash of white light was the last thing she remembered, until she felt the warm-honey caress of sunlight on her face. Music tingled in the back of her head, a lilting lullaby sung by someone kind. But she could not remember the tune, and she did not think she ever knew the words.

It did not matter. She was safe. She was home.

"When the Princess wakes up…"

"…hasn't even moved…"

"…poor things."

The whispering, warm voices were a welcome relief from the screaming. She felt herself smile a tiny bit.

"…Setsuna?"

"Sleeping. Should we…?"

"_Iie._"

_Setsuna…mama. Setsuna-mama. And that was Haruka-papa, talking to…Rei-chan?_

"Mamoru? Have you slept at all?" Haruka-papa sounded tired.

"I can't. Not until she opens her eyes." Mamoru sounded worse. "Where's Michiru?"

"Making coffee. Do you want some?"

"_Hai. Arigatou._"

Soft, muffled footsteps walked away. Panic filled her soul, and she struggled to open her eyes.

_Don't go!_

The sunlight dazzled her, but she was afraid to go back into the darkness. She forced her aching jaw open. The soft wisp of a sound passed her parched lips.

"Ha…Haruka…Pa…pa."

"Haruka!" Mamoru shouted. "Michiru! Hotaru's awake!"

"_Nani?_"

Haruka appeared around the corner at a dead run, Michiru just a step behind. Both collapsed to their knees beside the couch, staring at her with rapt wonder.

"Oh, God," Michiru breathed, grabbing her in a tight embrace. "Oh, God. _Arigatou._"

"Sweetheart." A tear rolled down Haruka's cheek as she put her arms around both of them. "My beautiful daughter."

_"My beautiful children…"_

Hotaru looked around vaguely in confusion. _Who said that?_

"HOTARU!" Setsuna flung herself upon the other three Outer Senshi, laughing and crying at the same time. "Are you alright?"

Hardly able to breathe, crushed under this triple embrace, Hotaru croaked, "I'm okay." She lifted her weak arms and tried to hug all three women at once. "Mama. Papa. Mama."

"Oh, Hotaru!"

More weight was added as Minako, Rei, and Ami leapt into the tangle, kissing the littlest Senshi's hair and face, giggling with delight. Hotaru smiled as best she could, her cheeks wet from everyone's tears. Mamoru, Kunzite, Jadeite, and Zoisite hovered behind the women, grinning like fools.

"Do you need anything?" Minako asked. "Water, ice cream-"

"I'll make pancakes!" Ami offered.

"I'll make tea!" Setsuna added.

"I'll make cookies!"

"I know a good recipe for-"

"No, she wants-"

"What about-?"

"Hey!" Mamoru broke in. "How about we give her some air, and let her reorient herself?"

"Oh! Right!"

The six older women piled off her to stand around, looking down with eager expectation.

"I _would_ like some water, please," Hotaru muttered shyly.

"Water!"

She watched in amazement as Minako and Michiru raced off to fetch her drink, banging into each other as they tried to fit through the door at the same time.

"Anything else?" Ami asked.

"_I-iie. Arigatou, minna."_

"You scared us," Setsuna told her, sitting on the edge of the couch. "You didn't move for almost twelve hours!"

"It's only been twelve hours!" Hotaru gasped. "I felt like I was trapped in there for years!"

"Trapped…where, Hotaru?" Rei asked, her face confused. "Inside the Creature?"

"Inside the Abyss."

No one spoke. No one moved. They all stared at her blankly.

"What do you mean?" Haruka finally asked.

"When I tried to face the Abyss," Hotaru explained, "the Silence Glaive…it exploded! There was too much evil! I couldn't siphon it away! And then, I was inside it."

"Sweet Sol," Jadeite whispered. "All that time... A whole day, and we were too foolish to see."

"See what?" Michiru asked, holding a tall glass of ice water, Minako trailing behind with a plate of toast. "What's going on?"

Haruka's head fell forward. She clenched her fists in rage. "A whole day, and I never realized you were in pain."

"What happened for a whole day?" Minako demanded.

Ami shook her head. "But that doesn't make sense. We saw you. We talked to you. You were here, with us."

"Someone was," Rei muttered, thinking. "But…was it Hotaru?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just before the fight last night, Hotaru was in the kitchen with us, talking."

"What fight?" Hotaru asked. "When?"

"And right before Michiru got so angry…" Haruka raised her eyebrows at her lover, who nodded.

Setsuna looked down, and said nothing.

"What did I do?" Hotaru wailed. "What's going on?"  
Michiru sat on the arm of the couch and stroked her hair. "You didn't do anything, sweetheart. But while you were suffering, we think the Abyss was working through you to turn us against each other."

"It makes sense," Ami admitted, shrugging sadly.

"It worked on all of us, too," Zoisite said. "We all let it twist us, directly or indirectly."

"All of us, but…" Mamoru turned and looked down on the other couch.

Hotaru looked through the throng of legs and torsos to see who lay there. Usagi, eyes closed and frightfully pale, did not stir as Mamoru touched her face. Her chest barely rose and fell with her breathing. She looked like a Queen, laid out for a public viewing.

"Is she alright?" Hotaru asked softly.

Mamoru shrugged silently.

"We don't know what happened to her, exactly," Rei said, glancing furtively at Setsuna. "There was all this darkness, then she glowed and chased it away, and then she fainted. Again."

"She hasn't moved in twelve hours, either," Haruka added. "Not even a snore."

Mamoru sighed, and lowered himself to the floor beside his princess. His joy for Hotaru's awakening faded as he looked at Usagi's still face.

"She will be alright," Hotaru tried to reassure him. "She always is."

He smiled at her, a little sadly.

Hotaru reached for the glass of water, then stilled. "But, if you didn't know I was inside the Abyss, or that the Abyss was inside of me… who saved me? Who pulled it out of me?"

The rest of the room looked down at her again in alarm.

"Someone pulled the Abyss _out_ of you?" Haruka asked.

"_Hai._ I thought…but then, who was it?"

Setsuna sat up very straight, her jaw dropping in shock. "Impossible! I don't believe it!"

"_Nani?_" everyone chorused.

"I don't understand how, or why, but I think…I think it was the Creature!"

"Why would the bad guy try to save her?" Minako asked.

"I don't know! I forgot in all that happened, but when I found Usagi, she and It were sitting together on the side of the road, talking."

"Talking?" Rei and Minako gasped.

"_Hai!_ Just…talking. In fact, they were holding hands."

"Why?" Jadeite and Kunzite cried.

"I don't know. I didn't hear what they were saying to each other. I," her head dropped, "I wasn't paying attention."

"Is it possible?" Ami whispered. "Possible Usagi reached whatever good there is in that Creature?"

"If anyone could…" Kunzite trailed off, shrugging. "But, where does that leave us?"

"Very, very confused," Rei said. "Until she wakes up."

Hotaru struggled to sit up, and then to stand.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Michiru cried, catching her by the arm.

"I have to know," Hotaru said, gasping around her exertion. "The Silence Glaive! Did the Abyss destroy it? Can I even transform?"

"_Hai,_ of course, but not right now, Hotaru!" Setsuna said, adding her own pressure to Michiru's urgings.

Hotaru weakly pushed at their hands. "Please! I have to know!"

"Let her try."

Haruka reached between her lover and her adopted sister, and took one of Hotaru's hands. She pulled the small girl to her feet, then helped her to stand steady.

"She has to know, just like we would."

No one looked happy, but everyone took a step back, giving Hotaru the necessary room. She closed her eyes, reached into her pocket, and found her _henshin_ wand. Her fingers clenched around the purple jewel as she tried to calm her racing heart.

_The Abyss probably wanted me for my more powerful form. But Saturn wouldn't respond to its call! Will it answer to me?_

She drew forth her wand, and called.

"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes, to see everyone staring in horror.

_I can do this! I have to!_

"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

The silence, the stillness, made her heart almost stop.

_Has Saturn rejected me forever? I never wanted to be the Soldier of Ruin, but I want to be a Senshi, with the other girls. I want to be a part of this family. I need to be Sailor Saturn!_

She clenched the wand so tightly it bruised her palm, her tears falling onto the jewel.

"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

Nothing.

"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

Silence.

"SATURN-"

"Hotaru!" Michiru cried, starting towards her.

"_IIE!_" she screamed. "I can do this! SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

"Stop it, Hotaru!" Minako shouted, reaching out.

"PLEASE! SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

The violet gem on the end flickered.

"SATURN!" she screamed. "ANSWER ME!"

"What in the world-?" Nephrite appeared in the doorway to Mamoru's bedroom, supporting Makoto on his arm.

"I am the Soldier of Ruin!" Hotaru yelled. "The Senshi of Silence! The Warrior of Death! _You will answer to me_!"

"Hotaru? What's going on?" Makoto stared at them all, her mouth open in shock.

Hotaru glared at the wand, fueling all her rage, all her fear, all her desperation into the jewel.

"Please," she moaned. "I need to be…"

She closed her eyes, and thrust the wand towards the ceiling.

"_SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!_"

Purple light encased her. Her body glowed with the brilliance, and she cried with joy when she felt her planet symbol burned into her forehead. Violet ribbons encased her, warmth and strength filled her, and she felt, in her hands, the weight of the Silence Glaive.

_I can be the Soldier of Ruin, the Senshi of Silence, the Warrior of Death. Just please, don't abandon me._

Something deep inside her heart answered. In her mind she saw colors swirling together, a beautiful planet with razor sharp rings. She was overcome by the suddenness of the warmth that filled her soul.

_I am here, my daughter. I will share your burden, because I love you._

The light faded. Everyone gazed at her, grinning. Sailor Saturn looked around at all those proud faces, and burst into sobs.

"Hotaru!" Michiru cried in alarm.

"I just," she sniffed, "I was so afraid I couldn't be one of you anymore! I was away for so long! I need you all so much!"

"Oh, honey!"

Several people started towards her, murmuring reassurances, when a confused voice froze all motion.

"What's going on? Saturn, why are you transformed? Are we under attack?"

Thirteen people turned to stare.

Usagi scratched her head sleepily and looked around.

"_Nani?_"


	53. Chapter 53

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

The following fifteen minutes were chaos.

The silence was broken when Mamoru fell onto Usagi, sweeping her into a fierce embrace and kissing her with all his might. Everyone looked on happily for several minutes, until it became apparent that neither Prince nor Princess remembered their existence. Rei then took steps to keep Hotaru from seeing the conception of her best-friend by stealing the glass of water and threatening their highnesses with an impromptu cold shower.

Then the room was treated to the astonishing sight of Setsuna flinging herself onto Usagi and breaking down. She sobbed into her princess' shoulder like a child and held her in almost as crushing a grip as Mamoru's. All the while she begged for forgiveness.

To add to the noise level, _Usagi_ burst into tears, threw her arms around Setsuna, and began begging _her_ forgiveness for not seeing her pain earlier. Saturn started to cry again, apologizing to everyone for whatever she had done in her possessed state and clinging to Haruka and Michiru. Then Minako confessed her sin of releasing the darkness and added herself to Setsuna and Usagi's pile.

All the Scouts confessed, Makoto collapsed on the couch to cry on Minako's back, and soon there was a soppy, apologetic heap of Senshi on top of Usagi, who still managed to wail the loudest that she had missed them all, and never wanted to fight again.

Mamoru, the Shitennou, and two very confused cats stood back to let everyone get their tears out.

"I thought they were noisy when there were only five of them," Jadeite muttered with appreciation. "This noise level should be an attack of its own."

"Stop it," Kunzite said, grinning. "It's good for everyone to talk these things through."

"Can they even hear each other?" Nephrite asked.

Zoisite nodded. "Of course. Women are truly amazing creatures."

"Apparently," Nephrite agreed. "Though wouldn't it be safer if Saturn were to put down the Glaive _before_ trying to hug everyone?"

Jadeite waved an unimpressed hand. "Everyone still has a head and all the right number of limbs and digits."

The amazing creatures began to untangle themselves, tears and laughter still falling freely. Saturn returned to Hotaru, and sat with her head on Usagi's shoulder, sniffling. There was a great deal of sorting out, and several more runs to the kitchen to fortify the wounded with ice cream or soda. At last they were all seated, on couches or the floor or laps, and a strange sort of peace stole over the room.

_Because we aren't fighting against each other anymore,_ Usagi realized. _We've been tested, and we've pulled through. _Now_ we can face the true evil._

She took the bowl of ice cream handed to her and let her tired head fall onto Mamoru's shoulder.

"Usagi," Rei began, "Setsuna said you were talking to the Creature. How did you keep it from attacking you?"

"I said I wanted to talk," Usagi said, her guileless blue eyes wide.

"That's it?" Haruka shook her head in surprise. "What did It tell you?"

"Well, for starters, 'It' is a _she,_" Usagi told them. "And _she_ used to have five children: four sons, and one daughter. But they died a long time ago. She doesn't like to talk about it."

"That's not much of a surprise," Haruka muttered.

"She didn't know much about the Abyss, and she didn't think it could be stopped. But…" Usagi looked into her bowl, and frowned. "But there was someone else who knew what it was."

"Who?" Ami asked, excited.

"My mother. Queen Serenity."

Several people blinked in open confusion. Haruka's jaw dropped just a little. Setsuna looked at Usagi with concern.

"Queen Serenity? When…How…I don't understand."

"After you hit me with the Dead Scream-"

"YOU DID _WHAT?_"

The eyes went from Usagi to Setsuna in horror.

"It wasn't her fault!" Usagi jumped in. "The Abyss made her do it!"

Setsuna bowed her head, uncertain. "It played off my emotions…"

"If you really wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have brought me back," Usagi told her. "You wouldn't have protected me."

"We'll debate this all later," Kunzite deemed. "For now, what did Queen Serenity say to you, Princess?"

Usagi racked her brain to remember her conversation with her mother. She told all she could about the Abyss, the experiment, and the accident, as well as the stars and black holes.

"Return the balance?" Zoisite mused, looking to Ami. "What do you think that means?"

"She also spoke of a star," Usagi said. "The only way to close the hole is through the star. But I don't know what that means, either."

"It might take the might of a star to close this thing," Setsuna offered. "If stars are alive…can we speak to one?"

Hotaru very slowly lifted her hand. They all looked to her, questioning.

"I think," she said, "we might already have."


	54. Chapter 54

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Yes, it's not much for the length of time it took. But more is on the way, I promise! In the meantime, enjoy this little bit. My thanks this time go out to carcaptor eternity (uh, guileless means open, honest, not sneaky…well, that's not the exact definition, but pretty close) FadeEclipse (sorry to make people stare at you at work, but that did seem to be everyone's favorite line, hehe!) Lysia Croft (I live to keep you in suspense,) and SailorKagome, (SATs? You have my sympathy!) Don't freak out, IssaLee! Not only do you get a thank you, you get a special thank you! Because in this chapter I unveil Inanna's Lullaby to the rest of the world! Well, the world that reads this fic, anyway. So if you love this song as much as I do, everyone send their compliments over to IssaLee! It's beautiful, and perfect. Enjoy!_

Uranus watched her princess with some concern. Usagi looked terribly alone, standing under the broken streetlamp and peering into the darkness. Her Senshi were too far away from her to give her the support she needed in this moment.

"You're on my toe!"

But they were plenty close to each other.

Usagi traveled ahead of her guardians, hoping to draw the Creature to her. The others stayed at a distance so as not to alarm the Beast, but within eyesight in case Usagi should need them. All were transformed into their more formidable forms, the women in Sailor _fuku,_ Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask, and even the Shitennou in their gray uniforms. Everyone was ready for battle.

_Except, of course, _her. _She is hoping for peace, as usual._ Uranus shook her head slowly with concern. _I don't trust this Creature at all._

"_Ano…_ Haruka-papa, could you move over a bit?"

"Ah! _Gomen_!"

Unfortunately, to stay out of sight of the Creature, but within a safe distance of Usagi, was no simple task, especially for twelve people. The Scouts, Shitennou, and Tuxedo Mask were smashed into a huddle, hiding on a rooftop, all ducking under the ledge but peering over to watch their princess. Elbows kept bumping, and Venus lost her balance into Kunzite, both tumbling over in a tangle.

"Ow!" came a muffled chorus.

"SH!" the rest hissed.

"_Gomen!_"

Uranus sighed, leaning a little to her left so her arm no longer hit Saturn in the nose. Her daughter nodded her thanks, then levered herself up to glance over the edge.

"Maybe this isn't going to work," Saturn whispered uncertainly.

"It has to," Mars muttered. "Zoisite, you are still on my foot!"

"I'm trying to move, but Nephrite-"

"Don't blame me!"

"Will you all shut up!" Kunzite snapped.

Zoisite turned to his leader, affronted, but Mercury put a hand over his mouth, raising the other to signal for quiet. "We are trying to be sneaky, you know."

Her lover fell into sullen silence, scuttling sideways into Nephrite to give Mars room. The fire Senshi grumbled half hearted thanks. Silence fell once again.

Uranus watched as Usagi looked up and down the street uncertainly. She heard her call out softly.

"Are you around here? Star-creature-lady?"

Nothing stirred, and there was no answer.

Usagi looked down, fiddling with her communicator. Her voice came softly from all the Senshi's wrists.

"Uh, guys? I don't think this is working. I'm going to have to walk further on."

Uranus closed her eyes, stifling a groan. Twelve people hiding while still was bad enough. Twelve people hiding while moving would be a disaster waiting to happen.

"Hang on," Venus whispered into her communicator. "Um, this could be a bit of a problem."

Kunzite leaned in over her shoulder. "Half of us can hop over to the next roof, one at a time, and keep ahead of her. Then she can move, and the rest can bring up the rear."

"Good idea." Venus beamed up at him. "Alright, um, Nephrite, Jupiter, Jadeite, Ma-"

"What is that?"

Everyone stopped, looking at the communicator nearest to them.

"What is what?" Neptune whispered.

From under them, Usagi turned, looking all around her. "That singing. Can't you hear it?"

"I don't hear anything," Pluto muttered.

Saturn stood up suddenly. "I hear it."

"Get down!" Uranus snapped, grabbing her arm.

"But can't you hear her? She's so…sad."

Usagi spun and darted down the street.

"What is she doing?" Mars managed to half whisper, half shriek as she also leapt up. "_Baka!_"

"Come on!" Completely throwing caution to the wind, Venus shot to her feet and raced across the roof. A powerful leap put her onto the next building, and she turned to shout again, "Come on!"

Snarling with frustration, Uranus followed the group, bounding across the tops of apartment buildings. A flicker of golden hair appeared across the street, and disappeared around the corner.

"Where is she going?" Mercury gasped, clutching her side.

Saturn leapt off the building, landing lightly on the pavement below, her knees bending to absorb some of the weight. She froze in a crouch for a moment, then flew off in the direction Usagi had taken.

"And where is _she_ going?" Zoisite added in a strangled, frustrated voice.

"I don't know, but wherever it is, that's where _we're_ going!" Jadeite grinned, grabbed Mars by the hand, and leapt off the roof. They hit the ground together, Mars nimble on her deadly red heels, and ran, side by side, after Saturn.

"All for one, and one for all," Venus agreed. "Let's go!"

They all sprang down, only Mercury stumbling, and Zoisite quickly catching her. Mars paused to wave at them, and they hurried after. Jadeite ran on ahead, keeping Saturn in sight.

Through a maze of streets and buildings, sudden turns and dead ends they ran. Uranus had never seen half of the buildings and streets they took, and it struck her again how huge Tokyo was. The Creature, whatever It, or _she,_ was, could hide anywhere. This desperate race was taking up time Tokyo did not have.

And it hit her.

"_I close my eyes and hear you crying…_"

She stumbled, a hand going to her chest.

Sadness. Infinite sadness, and a sweetness that made her shiver. It was like an attack of pure, raw emotion. The pain hit them like a wall, and all the Senshi staggered to a halt.

_Gods above, what is this?_

"_In my tortured mind I see you dying."_

"Oh," Neptune sighed, her knees buckling. She landed on the pavement, her hands over her ears. "Oh, no! I can't listen! It hurts!"

Mars whimpered, holding onto Jadeite. They both hid their faces in each other's shoulders, shaking with sobs. Venus clung to Kunzite's arm, tears streaming like rain down her face. Zoisite slumped on the ground, his arms around Mercury, his face in her stomach as she wept. Nephrite held Jupiter, one arm around her waist, the other over his own face. Tuxedo Mask held his face in his hands, trembling. Ahead of them, Saturn lay sprawled on the sidewalk, her face resting in her arms.

Uranus dropped beside Neptune, both arms around her shoulders, hugging her strong, fragile frame to support her, and to lean on her.

"_I yearn to hold out my hands and comfort you. My beautiful children, Mama's here to help you._"

Beyond Saturn, standing straight and strong as a queen, Usagi looked down at something huddled in the darkness. Beautiful tears sparkled like diamonds on her lashes, but she smiled gently.

"_I'm sorry I couldn't be there when the darkness threatened. And when the stars burst, your feet, they were deadened."_

Uranus watched through eyes cloudy with her own tears. Usagi looked more beautiful in that moment then she could ever remember. She stood there in a pool of silvery light, shining like some star. Even the vague recollections of a lost Palace on the moon, and the lovely princess there, could not compare with the shining moon beam bending over a lost, lightless star.

The voice faltered, and a pale parody of Usagi's lovely face peered up at her, uncertain.

"Go on," the delicate angel whispered. "Please. Finish your song."

"Why?" the Creature asked in a broken voice.

She smiled. "Because I would very much like to hear about your children."

It…_she_ turned her face away. "It does not matter anymore. They are dead."

Usagi reached out and took a delicate hand, identical to her own. "When you sing, they live again. Please. I would like to see them. I would like to know them, the way you did. Please."

Dark lips trembled. The Creature faltered, and suddenly, she was not terrible at all. She seemed very small, and very alone.

She rose up to her knees, and Usagi bent down to hold her face. "Sing for me? Please."

"_In a brilliant shower of dark and light,_" her voice shook, but deepened, not Usagi's voice anymore, but that of a woman much older, "_you were stolen away from me. And now I must pay for my sins, and I only hope that you'll forgive me._"

Uranus gasped, clutching Neptune's arm fiercely. Her partner raised her head, and started in surprise.

As she sang, the Creature slowly began to glow. Golden light, brilliant and beautiful as the sun, surrounded her. The tears that rolled down her cheeks were white, shining like drops of liquid alabaster. She clung to Usagi's wrists, her body shaking with her sobs and song.

"_I yearn to hold out my hands and comfort you. My beautiful children, Mama's here to help you._"

Usagi bent her head so that their foreheads were touching. Everything shimmered, and the air seemed alive with the strange being's sweet torment.

"_I wish for a field of flowers in which I may hold you tight. I wish on a star shining for hours, and for you to be with me as I cry._"

The long dress, a soft gray now instead of black, fluttered around her as she rose to her feet and changed her grip to Usagi's face. Her fingers held on so tight they would leave bruises, but Usagi did not even flinch.

"_I wish for a moment today to wipe away all of your tears. To tell you everything will be okay, and to fight away all of your fears._"

Staring with her dark eyes into the ever forgiving blue of Usagi's gaze, the Creature shook weakly.

"_I yearn to hold out my hands and comfort you. My beautiful children,_" she closed her eyes, "_Mama's here to help you._"

They stood there, two beautiful, powerful creatures, glowing gold and silver, glorious hair cascading around them. Then Usagi wiped those white tears away and kissed her once, gently, on the lips.

The Creature, the Star, opened her eyes, looking lost and afraid. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Serenity. Who are you?"

"You can call me Inanna."

Usagi smiled. "Inanna. We need your help."


	55. Chapter 55

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Alright, I just needed to get all this out of the way…so I did! It's a bit lengthy, but important. Special thanks this time go to LokileySmith (that's what every writer always wants to hear), Lysia Croft (what can I say but "ah…"), IssaLee (Galadriel and Arawyn with bleached hair…actually, that's pretty much what I was envisioning too! Wow!), SailorKagame (you guys are making me blush!) and FadeEclipse (oh, things are gonna get messy in the next few chapters. I hope I live up to your expectations!) Anyone else who happens to be reading, THANKS! Oh, and for proper background music, I suggest _The Distance to Here, _by_ Live. _The three songs I listened to most while writing this chapter were _Run to the Water, Face and Ghost, _and_ Dance with You _(which happens to be my all time favorite song.) The line I used for summary of this chapter is also from that CD, _They Stood up for Love.

"But I've told you-"

"You're a star, aren't you? How can you know nothing?"

"Uranus, please!"

Inanna turned her head away as Serenity made a soothing gesture to one of her guardians. She heard the tall woman snort unhappily, but fall into silence. After a moment, she felt Serenity's warm hand on her arm.

"Can you go on?"

_Do I have a choice?_ the Star wondered bleakly. But she only nodded. "Yes, Serenity. But I have nothing to tell you. I was very young when… I knew nothing of the Abyss until I… there's nothing to tell you!"

"There is so much you can tell us," the little one with blue hair, the one Serenity called Mercury, insisted. "You have been inside the Abyss!"

"All I knew in the Abyss was pain!" Inanna roared, turning on her. "Pain beyond anything you can even begin to imagine! And it never ends! It just goes on, getting deeper, shredding everything you are! I can't even explain…You can't ever know…" She bowed her head. "And all the time I heard them. Over and over, screaming for me to help them, to save them. I _see_ them, I _hear_ them, but I can't _touch_ them, because they're dead! They're dead, and I killed them!"

Several people gasped. There was a shuffling of feet, not away from her, but towards Serenity. Her guardians were closing in, ready to save their beloved princess from the monster.

"You killed them?" Serenity asked quietly. "What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't-"

The hand holding hers tightened. "Please don't tell me I wouldn't understand. I want to understand you, Inanna. _Make me understand._"

_Why?_ The Star shook her head slowly. _Why would you want to understand? I am a monster, you are a princess. I am evil, you are good. Please, just let it go. Don't make me tell you. Don't make me relive it all again._

"Inanna." There came the sound of soft footsteps. From the other side, tiny Saturn took her other hand. She looked up with violet eyes as dark and deep and powerful as a black hole, but shining with the silver light still surrounding Serenity. "We want to help you. We want to be your friends. How can we do that if we can't understand you?"

Moonlight and twilight, they held onto her hands, and looked up into her face with something she had not seen in a very long time. Compassion, yes. Love, yes. Need, yes. But also, _trust_.

"You remind me of my daughter. Both of you. So beautiful, so bright, and so trusting. She believed in me, to the end." Her hands tightened painfully on theirs. "And it killed her. Can you understand _that_?"

"Actually, we all understand."

Tall and slender, her eyes flashing with electric green energy, the daughter of mighty Jupiter stepped forward. "We know what it is to love someone so much that even when they hurt you, even when they _kill_ you," the man behind her flinched, "you just _keep_ believing in them. You believe in the heart that you know, deep down, is still_ good._ You believe that the soul that first touched you, that made your own soul soar, that made you feel like the most beautiful thing in the universe, is still there. You know, in your own heart and soul, you _know_ they are still the ones you love. And you never stop loving them, not even for a second."

Inanna raised her hand quickly to brush away the tears. When had she become so weak? She had to be strong inside the Abyss, to keep her mind and her soul her own. She had not even known how to cry before she escaped to this place. Why now could she not seem to stop?

_In the Abyss everything was the enemy. Here, now, there is something precious, something to protect. Something to love._

"I didn't mean for it to happen."

The words escaped without her realizing it. She gasped, as though she could draw them back in, erase them from the memories of those around her. But now they all knew.

"You didn't mean for what to happen, Inanna?" Serenity asked gently.

Her shoulders slumped. Defeat. Surrender. Strange how it almost felt freeing.

She stepped back, taking her hands away from both Saturn and Serenity.

"Alright. I will show you what I did. You may see for yourself what makes a monster of a star."

Standing in the center of their circle, Inanna held up her hands together, making a bowl of her palms and fingers. She tried not to tremble, tried to be strong. With a deep breath she drew air towards her.

"First, a star must be born. You must choose just the right elements. This one here, you see. And this."

"_Ano…_ we don't see," Serenity told her. "What are you doing?"

Mercury tipped her head, a smile on her lips. "Elements. Atoms! Of course! Stars are made up of mostly hydrogen, with some oxygen and—"

Inanna shook her head. "I do not know these words. They do not matter. Just watch, and you will understand."

"But—"

"Mercury," soft Neptune whispered. "Hush. You can explain about atoms and elements later."

The blue haired girl closed her lips, and gave Inanna an apologetic nod.

"It begins with two elements. Each is missing something until they meet. Within each other, there is something they can share. Together, they are complete. Do you understand?"

Serenity glanced up through her eyelashes at the man with the strange, tall black contraption on his head.

"_Hai._"

"These two elements celebrate their union with a dance. They spin and spin, and in their dance they make a beautiful light." Between her hands was the faintest of flickers, like a tiny firefly. "Then other elements who are lonely see this joy. They, too, wish to be complete. They rush towards this light, and they learn to dance. They are welcomed, for the more who dance, the brighter the light. The brighter the light, the more beautiful everything is." The glow grew, illuminating her hands with the same gentle gold light that surrounded her when she sang. "The elements are not all the same. Some are large, some are small, some are bright, and some are dim. Each has its own color, its own tiny light.

"They dance and dance, spinning around each other and falling further in love with one another. As their love grows, they pull closer to each other, and the light becomes something more." The golden glow condensed, rolling and spinning until it formed a small, brilliant jewel, like a marble made of creamy-orange carnelian.

"So the light grows, and so more and more come to fill the aching emptiness. They fall in love with the dancing elements, and the dancers invite them to share in this love. The dancing and loving grows and grows, until, at last, the first elements can not tell where they end and their lovers begin. They have become one."

"Nuclear fusion," Mercury muttered, then winced. "_Gomen._"

Inanna shrugged. "Call it what you will. _This_ I know to be true love. The elements became one. Their memories, their loves and losses, everything they ever were bled into each other. Then they were no longer dancing together. There was only me, and I danced alone."

The golden-orange jewel had quadrupled in size, shimmering and turning in the air. From somewhere in its depths was a soft, continuous melody.

"But stars don't make sounds," Uranus pointed out.

Inanna frowned. "Of course we do. This is not a true star. It is a small version of a star moving very fast. The real song of a star is slow and huge. You hear it every day, without knowing it. A star only falls silent shortly before its death." Her eyes dropped. "I had not sung since my children died."

"And… you're children?" tall Pluto asked.

She would not cry again.

"It was a very long time that I danced alone. I was young. I remembered everything my elements knew, but elements are very small, and very simple. I had questions, and I cried out. It took time for my voice to go out far enough to meet another star. He, like myself, was young. He answered my call with as much innocence and confusion as I knew. We called to each other, and to others, but speech amongst the stars is not easy.

"Perhaps it is the loneliness after being created of the sweetest, simplest of loves that makes stars do what they do. I don't know exactly how I did it. Unlike humans, I did not need a mate. Stars are much larger than you are, but we can also see much clearer. I could see other elements, elements that had already found one another, basking in my light.

"They love music, you know. The elements. I would sing, and I would glow, and they would dance around me. But my song was lonely, and I made the elements sad. They drew together for comfort, just as you did. Together, they danced again. The more they drew together, the happier my song became. I was not so lonely. So they drew even more into their dance, always laughing, always playing, and they fell in love. They did not want to stray from each other. They, too, drew closer until they became one."

Sparkles of light had been growing around the golden jewel. One was a soft green, one a deep purple, one a brilliant blue, and one a delicate pink.

"And so they came to me, one at a time. They shimmered into life, and they called me Mother. They, too, had questions. I answered them as best I could. And then I named them all.

"My gentle Mehrdad." The green sparkle floated up and expanded. Serenity and her guardians leaned forward, and Inanna smiled. "Always patient, always kind. He was my first child."

The green planet revolved, showing a surface of gently sloping mountains and long, flat planes. The waters, the trees, and even the ice caps seemed to be tinted with a soft jade. The smell of damp forest and sweet flowers rose to their noses.

"My serious Kaspar." The green planet sank back into orbit around the glowing sun. In its place, the purple planet ascended. Inanna shook her head. "My dear Kaspar. He loved me, he loved his brothers and sister, but he had no sense of humor. They always teased him. Only my song could make him smile."

The surface was as barren and rocky as Mars, but instead of vibrant red, it was deep violet. No wind stirred the dust. No sound disturbed the silence. It was eerie, yet peaceful.

"My brave Assim." The purple planet was replaced with the brilliant blue. "Wild and untamed, he did love to play jokes on poor Kaspar. He was naughty, but he made me laugh like nothing else in the universe. He alone did not scream at the end."

The surface of the blue planet turned out to be entirely made up of oceans. The humans leaned in close, so close their noses almost touched it. Then they shrieked and leapt back. Something flew up out of the waters, spun in the air, and disappeared into the sea. Everyone laughed, watching as another creature sprang into the air, riding a huge wave until it crested, then following the other back into the deep.

"And my youngest. My daughter. My Taraneh." The blue retreated, and the pink planet came into their sights. "Sweet, and caring, and joyful, and laughing. She alone, of all my children, learned to sing."

Taraneh was beautiful. Her surface was made entirely of pale, milky crystal. Dazzling spires, glistening globes, and strange, shimmering surfaces glittered like rose quartz in Inanna's light, lending her that distinct pink glow. From within the crystal came a song, high and lilting, like the perfect soprano voice.

"My darlings. They were so beautiful." All four planets again floated within her hands, and she smiled. She did not care if she cried in front of these humans. Now they knew what she had lost. "I was so very blessed."

"Then why…?"

Inanna looked up. The lights of her dead children shimmered in all those wide eyes eyes, and sparkled on wet cheeks. Serenity's guardians wept for her.

"If I could answer that, maybe I could find some kind of peace. But I don't know _why_. All I know is how."

This time the deep breath was only to steady herself. She did not need to draw any more elements to her. She had everything she needed to finish her tale, except, perhaps, the strength.

"We were happy for a long time, my children and I. I still called out to the stars around me, but not with the same urgency. I learned more from watching my children, and _their_ children, than any of my own kind could tell me. I knew why I existed. I was born, I lived, just to sing and to keep my children warm and happy.

"That kind of happiness leads to a certain kind of blindness. I was busy watching everything around me with such joy that I did not pay attention to the warning signs. I was growing closer to my children, which made me happy. I did not think that perhaps this was not good."

As she spoke, the carnelian sun kept glowing, and _growing._ The surface darkened to an almost red glow. The edges pushed out closer and closer to the four planets.

"It may seem like a long time to you humans, but it was so quick for me. My body and insides were transforming into something else, and I did not notice. No, that is not true. I did not want to notice, so I chose not to. But I was speeding up, and slowing down. Everything was changing at once.

"And it happened."

The dark, deep orange star exploded. The flash lit thirteen startled faces, and one tormented. The star flared out, racing towards the planets. And to the ears of the startled humans came soft, frightened voices.

_"Mother! What's happening!"_

Inanna sighed. "My gentle Mehrdad."

The green planet was swallowed by the rush of orange-gold light.

_"Mother! What are you doing!"_

"My serious Kaspar."

The wave rolled over the dark purple planet.

A strange humming silence came to them, the sound of a soul steeling itself for something terrible.

"My brave, brave Assim."

The blue twinkle disappeared in the star's wake.

_"Mother! Stop! I'm frightened!"_

Inanna sobbed brokenly. "My sweet Taraneh."

_"MOTHER!"_

The pink light trembled, and then the gold swept it away.

The star froze, expanded to touch the walls made by Inanna's hands, and then began to collapse. It sped faster and faster, becoming a ball again, then a marble, and shrinking still farther.

"I could not understand what had happened. My elements had turned against me. My children… my beautiful children. I ripped them to pieces, and then I devoured their corpses. I did not want to. But I knew I had, and I fell into a darkness like nothing I had ever known, either as an element or as a star. I felt hollow inside, and I kept collapsing into myself.

"I wanted to feel that beautiful, simple joy of the elements when they first began to dance. I pushed my elements closer and closer together, but still I felt empty. I thought if I kept pushing I could go back to a simpler time, when love was the light of a dance, and everything in the universe was beautiful. But all I did was destroy myself.

"And then, I died."

The shimmer of the carnelian orb darkened, and went out.

Inanna folded her hands.

"But that was not the end. I fell into darkness, and the darkness came alive. It knew of my sins, and it would make me pay for the murder of my children. It started with the whispers, the taunts, the constant reminders of what I had done. I pulled myself tighter in, trying to lose myself in the old dance. But I could not sing, not with the hissing and snarling that seemed to be coming from everywhere. My voice was lost.

"Then the pain came. Cutting, slashing, crushing, whatever it could do, it did. It growled and laughed. It drew pieces of me into itself in a feeding frenzy, but only small pieces. It wanted to keep me screaming as long as it could. All the while, it replayed my children's deaths. Every second I saw them dying, over and over again. They cried out for me to save them. I never could.

"Somehow, I managed to seal my soul deeper and deeper within myself. The more they cut, the further I sank. But inside that safety of myself I looked around me, and I began to understand. I knew I could not go back the way I came. So instead, I focused on the walls around me. If I pushed with my will hard enough, I could begin to make a kind of hole. I practiced a few times, and I began to glimpse, very briefly…stars."

"So then one day you decided to just do the thing, right?" Uranus asked. "You just punched your way through to our world."

Inanna shrugged. "Well, to be honest, yes."

"But, why us?" Serenity asked. "Why Earth?"

"I don't know. I just saw a weakness in the wall, and I took my chance. Then I was here."

"Killing people," Mars reminded everyone.

Inanna frowned, trying to find the words. "The people who came to me were not happy. I understood them. They were lonely. So I took their loneliness, and their warmth, in exchange for peace."

"They did not die in peace!" Mars' man snapped. "They died in horrible pain!"

"Doesn't everyone?"

They all started back in surprise. Inanna looked around in honest confusion. "What?"

"Not _everyone_ dies in horrible pain," Serenity explained slowly. "Some die quietly in their sleep."

"And some take a long time of agony to die," Inanna retorted. "They did not want to go on that way. The brief pain of their deaths was better than a lifetime alone, wasn't it?"

Serenity reached for her hand again. "But if you had let them live, they might have found someone else in this world to love."

"Someone else?" Inanna jerked away, horrified. "Why would they ever forget their love, replacing it with another!"

"_Iie,_ that's not how it is! You can find other love without forgetting those who claimed your heart first!" Jupiter's man said. "You can love new people while still loving the old."

Inanna looked around at them all. "I didn't want to hurt them! They were lonely, confused, frightened. I thought... I needed their warmth, and they wanted peace. Is that such a bad trade?"

"You can't just—"

"Alright!" Neptune held up her hands. "This is getting us nowhere!"

"But—"

"_Iie,_ love. No more. What is done cannot be undone, and we need to deal with what is happening right now. So shush!"

"How do we deal with what is happening right now?" Saturn asked.

Serenity bowed her head, thinking. "My mother said we have to return the balance."

"What does that mean?" Inanna looked at her suspiciously.

"I think it means we have to take you back into the Abyss."


	56. Chapter 56

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Haha! Proof positive I am not, in fact dead. IssaLee, thank you for checking. This was an incredibly hectic summer. Strangely enough, I feel like now that I'm back in college, I have more time to relax! But thank the holiday that I have time to write! Anyway, special thanks go out to Lysia Croft (I love keeping you guys on edge, and that's how _I_ think a star or planet would feel, but what do I know :-P) cardcaptor eternity (okay, her name is Inanna, she was once a star, her children were the planets orbiting around her, but she went supernova and destroyed them, does that help at all? Sorry I wasn't very clear!) IssaLee (sorry to make you wait so long! You pretty much have a grasp of what happened. I love the names I found! But be nice to poor Kaspar, he had it touch with his siblings teasing him! Their names mean: Mehrdad- Gift from the sun; Kaspar- A treasured secret; Assim- Great one; Taraneh- Song. Their names are Persian. For those of you interested, Inanna was a Sumerian goddess, and called Queen of the Heavens) Erase99 (yep, she went supernova and took out everyone, and yes, Mercury's lines were supposed to be funny. Glad they were!) evaya (keep reading! keep reading!) kuyaga (thanks for sticking with it!) bunny angel (ah! So many reviews all at once! But very sweet, thank you!) and Eme (on baited breath! Nice one! I'm glad I'm not confusing you! There are so many characters!) Wow, that was long. But here you guys go!_

Kunzite almost winced in sympathy at the look of horror on Inanna's face. The former Star trembled, black eyes unfocused and collapsing inward.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head slowly. "I can't go back."

Usagi bit her lip, glancing to them for help. The others gave her encouraging nods, but Kunzite's mind turned down another path.

"Inanna, please," the princess tried. "If you don't go back, the Abyss is going to keep growing. It is going to be released on this world!"

"I DON'T CARE!"

Gasping, everyone started back in alarm. Inanna slashed out with her wicked claws, barely missing Usagi's face.

"I don't care what happens! You cannot make me go back there!"

"Actually, we can," Sailor Uranus said. "You're going back one way or another. You either walk through that portal, or I'll knock you out, tie you up, and throw you through!"

"You can try!"

"Stop it!" Usagi cried, leaping between the two. "Inanna, you have to face the Abyss. It's the only way to save our world, and you."

"How can going back into that hell save me?" Inanna screamed. "I won't go back! _You_ have no idea how it feels in there! _You_ don't have to listen to them screaming for you to save them! _You_ can never understand! I've told you that since the beginning!"

"Please, Inanna—"

"NO!"

Inanna whirled, gray dress fading back to black as she prepared to run. Usagi opened her mouth to stop her, but a hand flew past her and wrapped in that long black hair.

"_We_ are not the ones who will pay for your crimes," Kunzite said against her ear. "You will stand and face your own sins."

"Let me go!" Inanna snarled, swinging wildly with her long claws.

"I will not. I agree with the plan to truss you up and throw you back into that monster if need be. Do _you_ understand?"

She sobbed softly. "Please…"

Kunzite lifted his other hand, and she flinched. But his touch was gentle as he caught her under her chin and forced her to look at him. "Would you curse this planet, and all that lives, and all that loves, to the Abyss?"

"Please, stop…"

"Are you so cruel, Inanna?" he whispered.

"No," she moaned. "But I am so very afraid. You can't understand. You have never killed one you love."

His pale eyes darkened, and his hand in her hair loosened. He curled his long fingers around her shoulders, and turned her until she faced him.

"So, Inanna," he smiled, "you don't know everything after all. I will tell you a story.

"A long time ago, perhaps when your children were still alive, there was a beautiful kingdom, and a beautiful Queen, who ruled this solar system from the Moon. She was kind, and gentle, and very wise. In her court there was her daughter, Princess Serenity." He nodded to Usagi, almost a bow. "And there were four other princesses, those who guarded the heir to the Silver Millenium.

"These five princesses were young and happy, and each very lovely in her own way. And like young women do, each, in time, fell in love with a man.

"Then they all died."

Again, he gently propelled her around, until now she stood staring at Venus.

"Do you see that young woman there?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"Is she not beautiful?" Kunzite murmured. "So gentle, so kind, and so very sweet."

A faint blush stole across Venus' cheeks, and her eyes shone brightly.

"Yes," Inanna said. "She is beautiful."

"I think so, too," he said. "The first time I ever saw her, I just froze for a moment. I think I even stopped breathing. Her golden hair was blowing in a breeze, and she was furious. She had such a fierce gaze, with so much heat and passion, and yet, at the same time, an amazing grace, and a certain tenderness that not even anger could chase away. She was yelling at her princess for going to a place of danger, without the least concern that, by following the princess, she had put herself in danger as well.

"I thought she was an angel."

Slowly, a tear, shining like a star, slid down Venus' cheek. She did not seem to notice, her eyes full on Kunzite.

Inanna nodded slowly. "I can see the light of her soul. It is brilliant, gold, with arching light like the flares of a star. I have seen pictures of these angels, from the minds of those I held. She… could be one."

"Do you know how she died?"

"Don't!" Venus cried. "Oh, Kunzite, don't!"

Inanna looked over her shoulder at Kunzite, surprised. "Died?"

"_Hai._ For this young woman, once upon a time, was the beautiful Princess of Venus. Until the man she loved killed her."

Gasping, the Star stepped out from under his hands.

Kunzite laughed weakly. "There was something that came from a dark spot on our sun, something terrible and evil. It came to Earth and twisted the minds of those foolish enough to listen. And we fools took up arms in a war that should never have been. We fought those of the White Moon, those lovely and gentle people who cared for us and protected us.

"We four, the guardians of Prince Endymion, the lovers of the four princesses of Serenity's court, broke through the gates of the Moon Palace. Each of us slew a princess, _our_ princess, and together we allowed evil to crush the peace of the Silver Millennium. We toppled a mighty empire, and destroyed all we loved."

"Sound familiar?" Zoisite called from the back of the group.

"Actually," Jadeite added, raising his hand for attention, "there is a minor difference in our stories. _You_ destroyed a solar system by accident. _We_ did so on purpose."

"Sort of," Nephrite finished.

"_That_ is what Jupiter meant, when she spoke of the fall of the one she loved," Kunzite said. "Though the gods alone know why they _still_ love us."

"Some things defy understanding," Mars said.

Inanna laughed wildly. "Indeed! My entire existence, in fact! Why was I even created! Just to destroy my children? To mangle everything I touch!"

She spun away from Kunzite, her face flashing to a terrifying mask for a second. "NO! I am not like you! I am not one who fell under the sway of evil! _I_ am the darkness from your sun! _I_ am the force that destroys! You can't understand! I won't _let_ you understand!"

"Inanna!" Usagi cried out.

But she turned, and fled into the darkness.


	57. Chapter 57

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

"Well," Uranus muttered. "That went well."

Usagi stood rooted, thinking quickly. Then she spun, and leapt into the arms of a very surprised Tuxedo Mask. He had no time to speak before she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. She needed him to know just how much she loved him. Then she let him go, and slid back to the ground.

"Usako?" he gasped, stooping to catch the top hat that had tumbled off.

"_Aishiteru,_ Mamo-chan," she whispered. "I have always, and will always, love you. No matter what."

"Usako?" His tone quickly rose to alarmed. "What are you—?"

She turned and ran after Inanna.

"Usako!"

"Princess, no!"

"Usagi!"

She did not stop, darting around the nearest corner. Two more corners and several alleys later, not only had she lost her friends, but she had lost herself.

"Mother!" she whispered. "Please! Give me whatever guidance you can, one last time! Help me!"

There was no voice, so shattering knowledge of what to do. Only a dim glowing in her heart, the warmth of a mother's embrace, gave her any sign she had been heard. A single beam of moonlight lit the corner two blocks down.

"_Arigato_, Mama!"

Usagi grabbed the sign post, swinging down the street and never breaking her stride. The moonbeam danced in front of her, leading her deeper and deeper into the city, past shops and houses she had never seen, past streets whose name she did not know. Still she followed with a single minded faith.

_Please,_ she begged inside her mind. _Just let me reach her before they find me. If Mamo-chan looks at me, tries to talk me out of it, I don't think I can do this!_

Still watching the silver light leading her, she crashed into a soft, yielding body.

"Ah! _Gomen!_" she wailed.

A gasp made her look up. Inanna stared, wide eyed and afraid, ready to flee again. Usagi moved fast, grasping the Star's wrist in both of her hands.

"Wait! Inanna!"

She hesitated, lips trembling. "I won't go back! I won't go back!"

"But what if I…" Her courage almost failed her, and Usagi had to pause for a moment. She tried again in a stronger voice.

"I'll go with you."

"WHAT?" Inanna stepped back, but could not pull her hand away. "You don't know what you're saying!"

"I do," Usagi promised. "I know you're afraid, not to face the Abyss, but to face your children. You're afraid they will not forgive you, aren't you? That they will not love you anymore."

Inanna bowed her head.

"I told you before, I love this world. I love it as much as you love your children." Usagi smiled. "It's my job to protect this place, just like a mother would. So I will make you a promise. I will go with you into the Abyss, and I will hold your hand through everything that happens, and I will forgive you everything you ever did, or will ever do, and I will always love you."

"That is a heavy promise, little princess." Inanna looked hard into her eyes. "Are you so very brave?"

"_Iie._" Usagi laughed. "I am not very brave, or wise. Not like my mother was. But I always keep my promises. So wherever you go, if you are afraid to go alone, I will go with you."

They stood for a long moment, just staring at one another, so alike, and so very different. Inanna's hand shook, so Usagi pulled her closer until she could wrap her arms all the way around her body. She felt the other sigh and relax into her embrace.

"Will you really?" Inanna whispered. "Will you truly stay with me until the end?"

"I promise."

There were tears, both crying, both afraid. Then both stepped back, holding each other's hands, and smiled.

"Alright," Inanna said. "If you will come with me, I… I will go back into the Abyss."

Again, Usagi threw her arms around Inanna, this time in one of her famous impulsive squeezes that almost forced the breath from the Star. Then she laughed weakly, and kissed Usagi's cheek.

"If we're going to throw ourselves into hell," Inanna mused, "now is as good as ever. Shall we go?"

"_Hai!_"

They kept their grips on each other's hands as they started forward.

"_Ano_, do you know where we are?" Usagi asked. "Because I don't."

"Not exactly," Inanna said. "But I can hear the Abyss. I could find it anywhere."

The rest of the trek was made in silence. There was nothing more to be said. The decision had been made, and both knew there could be no turning back.

True to her word, Inanna found the forsaken alley where the Abyss growled and hissed in its unending hunger. They hovered for a moment at the edge of darkness.

"Perhaps you had better become… what do you call it?"

"Sailor Moon." Usagi nodded. "_Hai._ A good idea."

The broach felt strangely cold under her trembling fingers. She moved her lips silently, tasting the words once more before saying them. She feared she would never say them again.

"M—"

She choked, and had to try again.

"Moon," she gasped, unable to control her shaking, "Eternal," her voice cracked just a bit, "Make-Up!"

The silver light made Inanna wince and step back. It almost blinded Usagi, more brilliant than ever. She felt ribbons of light embrace her, as tightly and warmly as Mrs. Tsukino soothing her fears away. A gentle kiss of power, like Queen Serenity kissing her only child goodbye, and a golden crescent moon seared itself onto her forehead. She felt someone close her fingers around the scepter, the final gift of power from her mother.

Then the light faded, and she felt strangely alone.

"Serenity?" Inanna said. "Sailor Moon? Are you alright?"

"I just feel like…" She shook her head. "It's nothing."

"No. Go on."

"I feel like, somehow, I just lost my mother all over again."

Inanna took her hand again, the one not holding the scepter. "I understand."

"I know you do."

They smiled at each other, trying to pretend there were no tears sneaking down their cheeks, and no fears in their hearts.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"No," Inanna said, and they both laughed.

"Here we go."

They clung tightly together, and stepped forward.

"USAKO!"

_Don't turn around!_ she ordered herself. _Keep going!_

"Usagi, stop!"

Hotaru's voice almost made her falter.

_Oh, Chibiusa, forgive your mama._

"_IIE!_"

Sailor Moon stepped into the Abyss.


	58. Chapter 58

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Whew! I've changed my mind. I hate school. But anyway! Big thank you's to all my reviewers from the last chapters! Lysia Croft (come now, is it really all that bad to be in a little suspense…for a really long time…), cardcaptor eternity (oh, hell, I don't know how many more chapters there will be!), IssaLee (CARROTCAKE! YRA LOVES CARROTCAKE! Gomen. Yes, our poor beloved Terran Knights really do take an emotional beating. All your questions will be answered…) v1786 (don't be mad, I promise I should finish this in the next week or so!) Erase99 (yra likes cliffhangers, can you tell?) bunnysangel (oh, bad things can always happen), Isis Aurora Tomoe, (enthralled, very nice use of the word. And you are not the first person to call me evil. J), and of course, aiisha, (so close to being done! Of course, then I just start on the next one…) Anyone else whose gotten this far, kisses all over!_

Tuxedo Mask stood deathly still. Not even a wind dared to stir his long cape. His fingers, encased in such lovely white gloves, bit into his palms, and Sailor Mars thought she saw red begin to show.

"Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Pluto tried carefully. "Mamoru?"

"My lord?" Kunzite leaned towards him, raising a hand. But he paused, uncertain if he should even touch the stunned prince.

"_Iie,_" he whispered, shaking his head slowly. "This can't be happening. Usako."

"Gods," Zoisite moaned. "Gods above! What do we do?"

Mars shook her head mutely. She had never felt so helpless in any lifetime. _I feel like the Silver Millennium is ending all over again! Why can't we ever be fast enough, good enough, strong enough to protect her!_

"SERENITY!"

"Endymion, NO!"

All four Shitennou lunged to grab him, but they were a second too slow. Kunzite's fingers closed on air a centimeter from the long silk cape, his shout still echoing in the air, and then Tuxedo Mask was gone.

"Blessed Sol!" Mercury gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "The princess… the prince…"

Venus moaned, closing her eyes. "Not again! Please, not again!"

"What… what do we do?" Jupiter whispered. Her eyes flew to Venus and Kunzite. "What do we do!"

Mars took a stumbling step forward, then halted beside Jadeite. Both stared into the alley for a long, silent moment. Then he turned his face down to hers, and she looked up into his eyes.

_Is this the end, again?_ she wondered weakly. _Is this all there is for us, a never ending cycle of failure to protect all we love? _

Every question ripping her heart to pieces was reflected in those deep, beautiful blue eyes.

_Is this it?_ his heart seemed to whisper to hers. _Were we brought here, now, only to fail him once more?_

Mars reached up to cup the side of his face, shaking her head slowly. "Not like this."

He smiled. "Since when do we give up?"

"_Nani?_" Saturn, trembling and suddenly very small and young, turned to them. "What do you mean?"

Jadeite turned to regard them all, grinning roguishly. "I don't see why we're all just standing here. We all _know_ we're going in there after them. So let's just cut the tears and recriminations and hop on into hell."

There was silence, then Uranus burst out laughing.

"Alright!" Jupiter cried out, punching the palm of her hand. "We're going in!"

"Oh, boy," Mercury and Neptune chorused, very pale.

Mars giggled, wrapping an arm around Jadeite's neck. A pull brought his lips down to hers, and she kissed him as though it were the end of the world.

_It might be. At least I can always know that, when I die, for better or for worse, you'll be there._

She felt his hands slide into her hair, raking through the tangled locks, clinging, trying to drag her closer. His mouth was desperate, but soft and so very sweet.

Then he drew back, and winked at her. "Ready?"

"For anything."

"You always are."

She seized his collar, making hard eye contact. "This is _not_ a goodbye."

He smiled at her lie. "Of course not, love."

A turn of the head showed the others engaged in similar soft exchanges. Mercury had her arms around Zoisite's neck, her face buried in his shoulder, his hands stroking her hair. Jupiter stood clinging to Nephrite's shoulders, their foreheads resting against each other, staring into one another's eyes with a frightening battle fervor, feral grins on their faces. Venus was on her tiptoes, exchanging tiny, delicate kisses around comforting whispers with Kunzite. Neptune and Uranus held each other's faces, just trying to memorize every feature with a terrible longing and hunger. Saturn rested with her face against Pluto's stomach, her "mama" reassuring her with gentle caresses. Then Neptune and Uranus stepped over to them, putting their arms around their partners and just holding on for dear life.

"Here," Mars whispered. "Take my hand."

Jadeite did so, then turned and offered the other to Mercury. She smiled, and placed her small, gloved fingers in his. Zoisite joined them on the other side, then Jupiter and Nephrite, Venus and Kunzite, Uranus and Neptune and Saturn and Pluto.

"We look like a bunch of idiots," Jadeite muttered, grinning crookedly.

"We're about to jump into an Abyss of evil," Nephrite reminded him. "We _are_ a bunch of idiots."

"Speak for yourself," Mars and Jadeite grumbled.

Kunzite laughed. "Not idiotic, my friends. Heroic."

"Well, band of heroes," Uranus called, "move out!"

Perhaps looking foolish, perhaps feeling overly dramatic, but needing the linkage all the same, the warriors and guardians of a shattered past and a future no longer certain moved to fulfill their final duty.


	59. Chapter 59

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_Silence._

_Nothing._

_No pain, no screams._

_Can this be right?_

"Sh. Don't look."

_Look?_

Her eyes opened.

"Serenity, no!"

Her mouth opened in horror, but could not make a sound.

_Red. Black. Red. Black. Red. Black._

"Don't look! Don't look!"

_Who is that?_

"Serenity, close your eyes!"

_What is that?_

"Oh, gods!"

_I don't understand._

A long, terrible scream tore through her vision, going on and on until she thought it would rip her in two.

_Who is that? Who is screaming?_

The scream became ragged. A frightening gasping sound took its place, as though someone were drowning. She heard a wet ripping sound, and the scream rose again.

_Oh, you poor thing! Why are you screaming so?_

"Serenity! Let me go!"

_Let you go? No, I can't do that. I promised…I promised…_

"Oh, gods, no! Serenity, let me go!"

_But what is that? All that red and black…Where are we?_

"I should never have let you come! My child, my darling child!"

_Mama? Is that you? What's happening?_

The scream took on a new sound, weaving into words.

"_MOTHER! HELP ME!_"

_Who is that? Why does it hurt when she screams?_

"_PLEASE! MOTHER!_"

_Oh. That's me._

With that sudden thought, Usagi's world snapped into focus.

There was, in fact, plenty of pain within the Abyss. And the screams were more painful, because they were her own sounds of anguish and horror. Yet she refused to loosen her grip on Inanna, clinging to the Star with all her might, her own body wrapped around Inanna's to shield her as best she could.

The strange ripping sounds were coming from her own flesh as it was flayed from her body. The pain was incredible, almost slamming her mind back into that dazed place beyond feeling. But she used the agony, clinging to it as tightly as to Inanna to keep her sanity for at least a few moments more.

All around her she saw dizzying, confusing flashes of _akai_ and _kuroi_, red and black. She watched in horrified wonder, trying to understand what she was seeing.

"POOR PRINCESS! STUPID GIRL! WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE?"

The voices of the Abyss made Usagi retch with disgust, only to find her stomach so dry and empty to be pointless.

"SWEET FOOL!" The Abyss laughed. "SHE CAME TO DIE WITH THE EVIL MURDERESS! AND SHE BROUGHT HER LOVE WITH HER!"

"_Nani?_" Usagi whispered. "_Iie!_ I came alone!"

"SO STUPID!"it snarled. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD STOP US BY GIVING US _EXACTLY_ WHAT WE WANTED! THE HOLE TO YOUR WORLD REMAINS, AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE EAGER TO JOIN YOU!"

"_IIE!_"

Through the black and red came a body. Tuxedo tattered, mask and hat gone, eyes closed, pale face spattered with her own blood, he was still so beautiful.

"Mamo-chan! Oh, why, Mamo-chan?"

"LOVE, LITTLE GIRL! HE CAME FOR YOU BECAUSE HE _LOVES_ YOU!"

She closed her eyes, trying to will the tears back. But she never could hide her emotions, and her body began to shake with sobs.

"Let him go!" Usagi whispered. "Please, let him go!"

"LET HIM GO!" the Abyss mocked. "LET HIM GO! NO, NO, PRINCESS! WE WILL KEEP HIM! HE _WANTED_ TO JOIN US!"

"Oh, sweet Goddess Selenity, it's all my fault!"

"YES! YOUR FAULT AGAIN! ALWAYS YOUR FAULT! JUST LIKE THE SILVER MILLENNIUM!"

Usagi buried her face in Inanna's hair. "Stop it!"

"YOUR LOVER DIED TO PROTECT YOU!"

"Shut up!"

"YOUR MOTHER DIED FROM THE PAIN OF LOSING YOU!"

"That's not how it happened!"

"YOU ARE ALWAYS THE ONE, THE SELFISH ONE, THE ONE WHO FAILS THE OTHERS!"

"_Iie, iie,_ you don't understand!"

"JUST LIKE YOUR GRANDMOTHER!"

Usagi stilled, her eyes opening. "What did you say?"

"THE QUEEN OF THE MOON WAS THE ONE TO BREAK THE CIRLE! SHE WAS THE ONE WHO TRIED TO RUN! SHE WAS A COWARD, AND WEAK! SHE WOULD HAVE LEFT THE OTHERS TO DIE!"

Staring into Inanna's hair, Usagi felt her jaw begin to clench. "That… isn't true."

"SHE COULD NOT HANDLE THE DARKNESS. SHE FEARED FOR HER OWN LIFE. SHE SACRIFICED HER FRIENDS, THOSE SHE _LOVED_, FOR HERSELF!"

Usagi's head whipped up, glaring at the dark and bloody whirlwind spinning around her. "That isn't true!"

"IT IS TRUE!" the Abyss shrieked, ripping at her exposed face. "IT IS TRUE! YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"You're lying!" Usagi shouted into the wind. "She wouldn't have left them!"

"WE DO NOT LIE!"

The Abyss roared, and she felt claws tangle in her long, beautiful hair. They pulled, beginning to peal her very scalp free.

"You're only made up of lies!" Usagi yelled. "You lied to Inanna! You lie to everyone! But you won't make me believe you! _I_ would never abandon my friends to their fate. _My mother_ would never abandon her friends to their fate! _My grandmother_ would _never_ abandon her friends to their _death_!"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"_You_ know nothing!" Usagi screamed. "You know nothing of love! You mock Inanna's love for her children, Mamo-chan's love for me, my friends' love for me, my love for them, but you have no idea what that even means! You know nothing about my grandmother, or any of those who stood with her the night she died!"

"WE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR GRANDMOTHER, YOU FOOLISH LITTLE PRINCESS! WE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THOSE SHE CALLED _FRIENDS_!"

Usagi threw her head, unconcerned with her lack of hair. "How? How can you, who never lived, who never loved, understand!"

The laughter of the Abyss this time held no amusement. There was something almost heartbreaking in the sound, as well as disgusting and terrifying.

"IT IS YOU WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND, PRINCESS OF THE WHITE MOON. DON'T YOU WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, ALL THOSE FINE KINGS AND QUEENS, THAT DAY IN SPACE?"

"I know what happened to them! You killed them! They're dead!"  
"DEAD?" The Abyss shrieked and snarled. "DEAD! OH, NO, LITTLE PRINCESS! WE ARE NOT DEAD!"

Usagi's head jerked back. "What did you say?"

"WE ARE NOT DEAD, GRANDDAUGHTER OF SERENITY!"

"_Iie…_"

"WE ARE STILL HERE!"

Her whole body began to tremble around Inanna. "Oh, my gods! It can't be!"

"OH, BUT IT IS, PRINCESS OF THE MOON! AND WE WILL TAKE OUR REVENGE ON THE BLOOD OF THE TRAITOR WHO LEFT US IN _THIS HELL_!"

The whirlwind opened, and she saw them, floating in a circle all around her, as though dead. Her family, her protectors, her beloved sisters, and her prince's dearest brothers. Her friends.

"Don't hurt them!" Usagi cried.

"WHY WOULD _WE_ HURT THEM? THEY ARE _OUR_ BLOOD! NO, PRINCESS. WE WILL JUST RIP _YOU_ APART!"

"What will you do with them?" she whispered.

"YOU WON'T EVER HAVE TO KNOW."

Hate, loss, disgust, suspicion, terror, despair, loneliness, and rage shredded her body like so many knives. Her skull shattered under the screams of evil. Her soul cried out wordlessly to her friends. The shards of her pure heart glowed briefly, then began to darken…


	60. Chapter 60

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

_A/N: Final thank you's…I could almost cry! Lysia Croft (you've been with this story since the beginning, and your support has been amazing! so many reasons to say thank you!) hota-chan (hey, anytime you join the party, you're still welcome! Thanks for taking the time, and for reviewing!) cardcaptoreternity (for sticking it out even when the going got tough and a little dark), Caytlyn Rose (see, the ending at long last! Thanks for your enthusiasm!) Erase99 (glad to find someone who shares my sense of humor! Arigatou!) silver starlight wolf (ah, so sweet! Thank you!) ice illuser (I like to keep you guys twisting! Thanks for reading!) moonlitephox (here is the ending you seek! I hope it live up to expectations! Thank you!) midnight, (wow! Speaking of enthusiasm…glad you like it, hope this is a good enough ending for you! Thanks!) Two very special thank you's! Issalee, for a beautiful lullaby, and several of the longest, but greatest and sweetest, reviews I have ever seen! And aiisha, for everything that has or will ever happen. Kisses, girl!_

_Now, on to the big finale!_

When everything is gone, when there is no one left to laugh, or cry, or live, or die, there is a strange peacefulness beyond rest, beyond simple death. There is nothing left to lose, nothing left to gain, no one left to worry about. The universe just gives a simple sigh, and cries its last tear, which shimmers, the final star of hope in a void of silence, and then… it is gone.

She was floating in the silence, and could stay there forever.

_Peace. Be still. Rest now, child, for everything you ever loved is dead, and there is no need to weep anymore._

"You don't believe that, Serenity."

The voice was familiar, yet entirely out of place in this scene.

_Go away. I want to sleep._

"No you don't, Serenity."

_But I'm dead._

"You are not dead. Not yet. And I hope you will stay alive."

_Why?_

"Because I will cry if you die."

_Oh. Please, don't do that._

"If you don't want me to cry, you must stay alive."

_Then I will stay alive._

"Good."

Usagi's eyes focused slowly on what was in front of her, and she felt her tattered, bloodied lips curve up into a smile.

"Inanna?"

The woman floating in front of her was tall, taller than Setsuna or Haruka, taller even than Galaxia. Long, carnelian red hair fanned around her naked body, which glowed with a strange, beautiful light. Golden eyes shone into hers, and her full lips smiled gently.

"Yes, Serenity."

"Oh!" she sighed, then coughed on a trickle of blood. "You are so… beautiful. Why… did you… want to look like… me?"

"Poor child," Inanna murmured. "How can you understand how much I hated this form, the form of a murderess?"

"_Iie,_ Inanna. It is just the form of… a mother."

The Star reached out with her long-fingered hands, and cupped Usagi's face.

"You are in such pain, all to help me. Such a good Sailor Scout. Such a good friend. You're mother would be so very proud."

Usagi's smile grew, though her eyes felt tired. "Good."

She looked past Inanna, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. She and the Star, and beyond them all her friends, floated in a sort of golden, glowing sphere. Outside the Abyss raged, battering the delicate surface of the bubble, without effect.

"How…?"

Inanna raised her eyes up, and grimaced. "It is not so very powerful as it believes. Don't worry about it."

"And… everyone is safe?" Usagi looked at all her Senshi, all the Shitennou, and Mamoru's dear face. "You? You're safe?"

"Yes, Serenity. I'm… I'm fine."

It looked strange for Inanna, wearing not the face of a Princess, but the face of a Star, to be crying.

"Don't," Usagi sighed, lifting a hand to touch that beautiful face. She saw her fingers, mangled meat and visible bone, and let them fall back to her side. She could not touch something so lovely with such bloody ugliness. She had no strength to try and raise her other hand. "Don't cry, Inanna. It will all be okay."

"Yes, it will."

Something in her eyes looked familiar. There was strength, and wistfulness, and protectiveness, just as Queen Serenity had looked right before…

"_Iie,_" Usagi whispered. "Inanna, don't be sad. I am going… to save you! I will protect you! I… I promised you… Oh, don't go away…"

"Now you're being silly," the Star murmured, laughing just a little bit. "Why should you die for me, when I have been dead for so very long?"

"Don't go. Oh, don't go."

Usagi wept shamelessly, her tears stinging the cuts on her face, her grief shattering her heart anew. Inanna cried also, stroking her face with gentle fingers.

"No, Serenity. Don't cry for me. What kind of mother would I be if I let you die?"

"But why should you die for me? I promised you…"

"You promised to go with me into the Abyss. You promised to hold my hand. You promised to forgive me. You promised to love me." Inanna kissed her forehead. "You have kept every promise, Serenity, and I need you to know that I will always love you, too. But now I'm going somewhere you cannot follow."

"Please…"

Inanna's chin trembled until she had to bite her lip. Alabaster tears rolled down her face, falling onto Usagi's ruined body. They seared her flesh in a rapturous pain, but she could not look away from the eyes of the Star.

"I am so very weak, Serenity," Inanna whispered. "Don't ask me to stay anymore, or I might. And then you, and all your friends, and your world, and everything in this universe, will fall prey to the Abyss. You do not need to stay with me. The balance is restored, and as soon as the Abyss truly has a hold of me again, it cannot maintain the hole into your world. As I die it will close, and the world you love so much will be safe again."

Usagi shook her head slowly. "What will happen to you?"

"I… I will be with my children. I will get to hear Mehrdad speaking to me. I will hear Kaspar arguing with his brother, and Assim laughing. And I will hear Taraneh sing again."

"You don't know that. You don't know what is going to happen, do you?"

Inanna sighed. "No, I don't. But… but I believe it, because I want to believe it, and that is all that matters."

"Isn't there a way?" Usagi reached out blindly, no longer caring if she smeared Inanna with her blood. Her arms went around the other woman, pulling her close. "Isn't there a way… I don't have to fail you?"

"You shouldn't listen to the Abyss so much, Serenity. You are not a failure. You will be an amazing Queen someday, and a wonderful mother. But please, let me beg of you one more promise."

"Anything," Usagi whispered into her shoulder.

"When you sing to your daughter at night, or tell her a story, remember how much I truly, _truly _loved my children, and tell her so. Remember us to the next generation."

"I promise, I promise," she moaned. "Oh, don't go. I don't know enough about you! We just finally began to understand each other! How can you leave me now?"

"Dear Serenity. So wise, but so very young. Don't you know? Everything that lives—"

"Must die," Usagi finished. "I know."

"But everything that dies will always live on in the hearts of those who remember them. Even if you don't _know_ that you remember something, you still let us breathe in your beating heart. In the very back of your mind, as you look at the darkness in the sky where a star once sang, and planets once danced, even if you don't know our names, you will know my children and I _lived!_ And that is all I ask."

Inanna stroked her back tenderly. "So, you see, I will never really be gone. Neither will my children, or your mother, or even those caught in the Abyss. _Live _for us, and know that we live again in the laughter of your daughter."

"But I will never see you again!"

"No," Inanna admitted. "No, you won't. But… that is just another part of life. It is something you must accept as you grow older."

"I don't want to grow older! I don't want to be a great Queen, if it means that I will never—"

Usagi stopped short, almost choking on the words. They changed nothing. She would grow older, and become a Queen, and learn to live with this pain, and so many others. Because the universe did not care if you were young and hopeful. It took everything in the end, until all that was left were the bittersweet memories of a life rich with both joy and pain. These you handed to your children, with a soft prayer for their strength to face the bitter and the sweet, before you closed your eyes and shattered the safety of their innocence.

"See? You're already learning," Inanna teased.

"I hate learning."

"And yet you are still a child."

The Star laughed, and Usagi gasped against the breaking of her heart.

"Now kiss me goodbye, Serenity, and let me go. It's time to save your friends, and your love."

"Inanna…"

"Please, Serenity. For me. And for your daughter."

Usagi slowly nodded. "_Hai._ For you both. For you all."

Inanna pulled back just enough to look Usagi in the eye. Then she leaned forward, and gently kissed her on the lips. Usagi jerked, almost screaming as blinding heat raced through her body. Then she relaxed, her eyes closing, and sighed as sweetly as the universe as it died.

Yet when Inanna let her go, she had never felt more alive.

A glance down showed her body, fully restored, and clad in the white silk gown of the Moon Princess. Her hair swished by in the strange weightlessness of the sphere, the same gold as Inanna's eyes. She was whole, in a form more powerful than even Eternal Sailor Moon, and filled with a bitter joy and fierce sadness not entirely her own.

"Are you ready?" Inanna asked her.

"_Iie._"

Inanna only laughed. "Yes, you are. Now listen to me. Wake your friends as fast as you can, then head straight through the opening to your home. You only have as long as it takes the Abyss to completely devour me to get away. That won't be long."

"How can you be so calm?" Princess Serenity asked, her voice awed.

"I miss them so much," Inanna whispered, smiling. "Even a remote possibility to see them again, and maybe to find a little peace… Oh, I'm so tired."

"_Hai._ It's time you rest."

Serenity turned towards her friends floating so close by She focused first on Mamoru's face, pale as death and equally motionless.

"Mamo-chan," she called. "Mamo-chan! Wake up!"

His lashes flickered fitfully, as though disturbed by some dream.

"Wake up!" Usagi cried. "ENDYMION!"

His body shimmered, ruined tuxedo giving way to black and silver armor, and a crimson lined silk cape. Something blue shone on his forehead. Blue eyes opened wide, and he looked at her with complete comprehension.

"Usako," he whispered. "SERENITY!"

"The others!" Inanna shouted. "Hurry, Serenity! The Abyss does not want any of you to escape! We can't let it figure out what we plan to do!"

"Mercury!" the teenager shouted, taking on the tone of Neo-Queen Serenity. "Venus! Mars! Jupiter! Saturn! Uranus! Neptune! Pluto! Hear your Queen! Do as I command! Wake up!"

Nine women jerked, eyes flying open. Their tiaras disappeared, baring their brilliantly glowing planet symbols. Beams of light, the colors of the Senshi's aura's, flared out, connecting them in a radiant ring.

"What?" Inanna cried out in surprise. "What is this, Serenity?"

The reincarnated Princess did not answer, merely looking to her Prince. Endymion raised his own voice, tone stern and noble.

"Kunzite! Jadeite! Nephrite! Zoisite! To your King!"

The men disappeared in a flash of blue light, reappearing in the silver and blue armor of the Generals of Terra's army. A silver character, ancient and lost with the Silver Millennium and Earth's great kingdom, appeared on Kunzite's forehead. Gold etched across Jadeite's brow, bronze on Nephrite's, and dark topaz on Zoisite's. Their light joined the Senshi's, reinforcing the circle of power.

"Serenity!" Inanna looked from one glowing guardian to another. "What are you doing?"

"What my grandmother knew we must always do," the Princess said. "Fighting the darkness the only way we can. With light inextinguishable."

The Star frowned, then nodded. "Yes. I believe you can do what even a Star could not."

"Oh, Inanna," Princess Serenity sighed. "You shouldn't listen to the Abyss so much. You are not a failure. You were a good mother, and a good friend. Now give me your hand."

Inanna looked at her uncertainly. "Why?"

"I can't leave you here."

"You can't take me back with you, darling."

"I know. But we can take you where you want to be."

"How?"

"Trust me." Serenity held out her hand.

Inanna hesitated for only a moment, then took her hand. "You can take me to my children? What do I have to do?"

"What are you willing to do?"

"Anything!"

Serenity smiled and blinked back the tears. "It won't be very hard. Just… believe in me."

She looked around at all her Senshi, their light reaching almost a blinding level. Then she looked at Endymion, who stared into her eyes with pained understanding. He could not guess what she had planned, but he knew it would hurt her. That was all he needed to know.

_I love you. I love you all, so very much…_ She pulled Inanna once more into her embrace. _So very, very much. Mother said love is our greatest strength, and giving those we love what they want, at our own sacrifice, is our greatest gift. So why does it hurt so much…to let go?_

"Inanna," Serenity whispered in her ear, safe in the love of her friends, "trust me. Let go."

Inanna gave that sweet sigh, her last tear falling from her lashes into Serenity's hair. Her fingers clenched on Serenity's shoulders, and she let go.

The golden sphere burst like a soap bubble. The Abyss roared its triumph, racing towards them, only to be buffeted back by the burn of the Senshi's light.

"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THEY ARE OURS! OUR BLOOD! OUR CHILDREN!"

Serenity did not look, did not react. She locked her arms around Inanna, shaking, and calling up the power of the Silver Millennium, and all the love in her soul.

_Why is it, the more we love, the more we suffer? Mama, I need you now. Hold my hand. I can't do this alone._

But there was no answer. Queen Serenity was gone, so far away she could not hear the plea of her only daughter, her dearest love. The Princess had to become the Queen she did not want to be, the child the woman she was not ready to be. Just one act of merciful love…

_Oh, gods, help me!_

"I'll love you forever," she whispered in Inanna's ear.

"I know. And I'm sorry."

The Silver Imperium Crystal. She could see it in her mind, nestled in her mother's hand as the Queen showed it to an excited Princess. She did not need to hold it now. The power was in her heart, beating against Inanna's.

_"Remember what I tell you now, little princess. Someday, you will need it. There are no words, no attacks to bring this power. Only your own will."_

Her heart screamed out in anguished love. A single, tiny sliver of silver starlight slipped free of her bosom, only to pierce Inanna's chest. The Star gasped, her whole body growing ridged and trembling with power. The glow of her beautiful eyes and lovely skin turned to white. Her hair turned to pure light.

"Serenity!" she whispered, voice rapturous. "Thank you! Remember! The next generation! Your daughter, and my—"

Crystalline lances of silver light exploded out of her body. She slowly turned as she floated out of Serenity's embrace, as though to prove to the watching Abyss she was beyond its grasp forevermore. Then the power of the Queen of the Moon ripped through her body, shredding every fiber, every atom, until the Star Inanna was no more.

"NO!"

The Abyss' screams of fury were deafening. The Senshi and Shitennou moved closer together until they could hold each other's hands, solidifying the protection around their future King and Queen. Panicked looks were thrown to the Abyss as its rage grew to unimaginable bounds.

"YOU DARE! YOU DARE TO TAKE AWAY OUR RIGHTFUL PREY! WE SHALL EAT YOUR LOVER BEFORE YOUR OWN EYES!"

"Serenity!"

Her whole body shook with sobs. "Oh, gods! Where are you? I need you now!"

"Serenity!"

"How can you abandon me?"

"Serenity!"

"COME BACK TO ME!"

Endymion pulled her against him, his embrace crushing within his armor. "Serenity! We have to go!"

"She's gone!" Serenity wailed. "She's dead!"

"_Hai!_ But we are alive, and she wanted it that way. Serenity!" He tipped her face up. "It's time to go home!"

"Princess! Prince!" Venus shouted. "The Abyss! It's breaking through!"

Princess Serenity looked at her friends blindly for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "Home."

"YOUR HOME IS WITH US NOW! YOU WILL TAKE HER PLACE, TREACHEROUS BRAT OF A TRAITOR LINE!"

A light sprang into Serenity's eyes, wrath surpassing even the Abyss.

"Silence!"

"YOU _DARE_ TO SPEAK SO TO US!"

"Enough from you! I tire of your lies!"

"WE WILL RIP YOU—"

"Let's get out of here!" Mar shouted. "_Before_ they come up with more creative ways to kill us!"

"There!" Serenity pointed through the swirls of darkness. "That way!"

"Are you sure?" Kunzite asked.

"Kunzite!" Endymion snapped. "Do as she says!"

"And no one die!" Serenity finished.

The experience was something like a Sailor Teleport, though slower and more ponderous. The Abyss lashed out at them from all sides, sometimes driving them back a step, sometimes knocking them off their path. But Serenity kept them moving in the direction where she felt Earth and the White Moon calling them home.

"THEY ARE _OUR_ CHILDREN!" the Abyss shrieked. "WE WILL NOT LET THE WHITE MOON TAKE THEM FROM US AGAIN!"

"What are they talking about?" Uranus called

"Don't listen!" Serenity cried. "Listen only to me! Keep going forward!"

"SHE LIES TO YOU ALL!" the voices of their ancestors snarled. "HER KINGDOM IS BUILT ON LIES!"

"Oh, shut up!" Neptune snapped.

"There!"

Everyone followed Zoisite's excited eyes. In the roiling darkness, there was a tiny pinpoint of light.

"GO!" Serenity shouted. "GOGOGOGOGO!"

"We're going!" Jupiter screamed.

The ripping of the fabric between Earth and the Abyss was a shared agony through all their bodies. Together they tumbled back onto Earth.

"Ah!"

There was a crush of bodies, several cries of pain, and some swearing from the men and Uranus. Serenity lay face down on the asphalt of an Earthly alley, trying to breathe as someone's elbow dug into her ribs. Then Mercury toppled off her, landing at her side on the ground.

"Are you alright?" the blue-haired Senshi whispered.

Serenity lifted her head, looking around. Eight Senshi, four Shitennou, and one beautiful Tuxedo Mask… All whole and unharmed.

"Oh, good. None of you died."

Blessed oblivion took her away.


	61. Chapter 61

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

"Watch out!"

Screams filled the air as young men and women ran for their lives.

"Oh!"

The charred timber crashed onto the grass, throwing up a cloud of ash and dust.

"I think that used to be my closet," Setsuna noted, sighing. "_Hai,_ that was my favorite black velvet skirt."

"What a mess!" Makoto cried, surveying the remains of the Outer Senshi's house. "What are you guys going to do?"

"Get a new house in a hurry," Haruka muttered, kicking over a pane of broken glass. "Space is getting kind of tight over at Mamoru's."

"The fights for the shower in the morning are reaching homicidal levels," Jadeite added. "I think I found your CD collections."

Michiru and Haruka straightened eagerly. "And?"

"I believe a proper funeral is in order. No good."

"Damn!" Haruka groaned. "We have to start all over!"

"Some of it was limited editions!" Michiru added. "Sonofabitch!"

Several of the other girls giggled, and the hunt for anything salvageable from the ruins continued.

Setsuna made her way carefully down beside Mamoru, wiping her blackened hands against her already filthy jeans. He looked up and gave her a wan smile, which she returned.

"How is she?"

Both looked over at Usagi, standing alone with her hands in her pockets, and her head down. She did not make any moves to join the search party. She hardly seemed to know where she was.

"She's… the same." Mamoru shrugged helplessly. "She had to destroy someone she had grown to love. Even if it was an act of mercy, it is killing her inside."

"And her pain is killing you, as well."

He glanced up at her in surprise, and she grinned. "I know you better than you think, Prince."

"I guess so." He lowered his gaze, shaking his head. "Sometimes I think she _is_ to tenderhearted for her own good. But… she has to be. And it will eat her up inside, all the world's pain. And I can't protect her from that."

Setsuna gently laid her hand on his head, smiling down into his eyes. "No one can. But you can help her carry her burden, and that is more than a lot of people have."

He reached up and took her hand, squeezing her fingers. "You'll have that someday, too, Setsuna. That's an order, from your King."

She laughed, and gave him a playful salute. "Yes, sir!"

"Setsuna-mama! Look what I found!"

"Coming!"

Setsuna hurried over to Hotaru, her smile brilliant with affection. Mamoru watched her go, nodding to himself. Someday she would fall in love with someone who loved her as much as she deserved, and that man would be very, very blessed.

He turned to regard his own blessing, now looking aimlessly up at the clouds. Her blue eyes seemed almost frosted over, as they had been for over a week. The doorway into the Abyss was gone, but a part of the nightmare remained to drive her deeper and deeper into herself.

_Like Inanna, as the pain of losing her children grew…_Iie! _I won't let that happen!_

Impulsively, he sprang up, moving quickly to her side. She barely had time to look at him before he leaned down to press a kiss to her surprised lips.

"Mamo-chan?"

"You look so far away," he told her, smoothing back her bangs. "Like a distant star I can't touch."

Usagi smiled slightly. "_Iie._ I'll never be too far for you to touch."

"Promise?"

The smile grew. "Promise."

Mamoru wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest so he could rest his chin on her head. She snuggled into his embrace, burying her head against his chest and giving a little sigh. He smoothed his hands down her hair, thinking.

"Usako—"

"I miss her." He saw her shoulders move in a shrug, and felt tears soaking through his shirt. "I just miss her, and… she's not coming back, is she? I'll never see her again, or talk to her again, or feel her hold me."

"I know, Usako. But Inanna went to where her children are. She was happy. You saw her face as she went."

"_Nani?_" She lifted her face from his chest, staring up at him in confusion for a moment. "Oh! You thought... _Iie._ I mean, it hurts, that hole where Inanna was in my life, even if just for a little while. But I was thinking of my mother."

"Your mother? Queen Serenity?"

"_Hai._" She smiled, her chin trembling just a tiny bit. He almost wanted to cry himself, seeing how bravely she kept the tears back. "That power, the power to help Inanna, is a power only for the Queen of the Moon."

"I still don't understand."

"It was her final gift to me. Now I have all her powers, and I can take her place as Queen. So she's gone. If I go to the Moon Palace, and I call for her, she won't ever answer me again. She's gone someplace that I can't follow." The tears spilled over, and she lunged back into his arms. "And I need her, Mamo-chan! I need her to help me!"

"Oh, my Usako."

There was nothing that he could say to comfort her, so he said nothing. He rocked her slowly in his arms and let her cry.

"She told me… she told me I would have to let go of something I did not want to! I thought I could do it! I thought I could be brave, because I would always have her! She never told me I would have to let _her_ go!" She hiccupped against his chest. "And I did it! I let her go! _How could I do that?_"

"Sh," he whispered against her ear. "Remember, it is what she _wanted_ you to do. It is what you _needed_ to do. How could you be Queen if you were always looking to her to make the decisions?"

"I know. My head knows all of it. But my heart, Mamo-chan, my heart is breaking! I feel like I could die!"

"_Iie,_ Usako. You are too brave, and too strong."

"I'm not! I'm weak! I'm so afraid to go on without her!"

"Is she really gone?" He looked down into the face he loved more than life, and kissed her brow. "She gave you all her power, all her strength. Every time you use your powers, she is right beside you, holding your hand. Every time you hold our daughter, you'll see all her love for you reflected in your love for our Small Lady. So what if we can't see her, or hear her? She's in your heart, and her voice is in every beat."

"But I _want_ to see her, hear her, touch her! I don't want her in my heart! I want her at my side!"

Mamoru looked at her, feeling his lips twitch. Usagi stared at him with trembling mouth, then slowly began to smile herself.

"Usako, you still have a ways to go before you become a Queen."

She giggled, then smiled all out. "I know. But I have you, and the girls, and Luna, and Artemis, and even the Shitennou now! And I have my other Mama, who loves me just as much, and can still hold my hand. At least, for now."

Sighing again, she stepped back. "So, when should we expect you guys back?"

"_NANI?_"

Both Usagi and Mamoru jumped, then looked around in alarm. All their friends stood nearby, apparently enthralled by the drama the pair had been unknowingly enacting for their entertainment. Only Usagi's last words had awoken a response for four outraged Inner Senshi.

"Ah-ha-ha," Jadeite began, giving Rei a nervous look. "Mamoru, you said we would tell them all at the same time."

"He didn't tell me. I figured it out," Usagi explained simply. At everyone's raised eyebrows she gave an annoyed huff. "I _can_ figure things out!"

"_Hai,_ of course," Kunzite muttered. "Well, the thing is, now that all the excitement has died down…"

"We, well, we thought perhaps we should," Zoisite stuttered, looking uncertainly at Ami, "goforatriptoletusallcatchourbreathsandthinkaboutwhatallthismeans!"

"_Gomen?_" She stared at him, wide eyed.

"We just need to all step back and, well, get our heads together," Nephrite took over. "You have to understand, there are all these memories and things we haven't had time to deal with."

"But…" Rei looked at Jadeite, her expression bordering on panic. "For how long?"

"Just a few months or so!" Mamoru assured her. "We'll be back soon, we promise."

"A few months!" Minako cried. "We just got you all back!"

"And maybe you should think about what that means, too," Kunzite told her. "There are things that we just haven't had time to deal with. Now that we can think these things through, and get our memories straight… We just all need time to think!"

"Where will you go?" Ami asked, clinging to Zoisite's arm suddenly.

"Europe," Mamoru told her. "We'll just take time to think things through, and make our next move. Everything has changed now."

No one could argue with that. The Inner Senshi looked to one another, faces mirroring one another's fear and pain.

"When will you leave?" Ami asked in a small voice.

"Tomorrow," Nephrite said. "We wanted to leave tomorrow. We've been trying to think how to tell you all this week."

Makoto snuggled into his side. "But not today."

"_Iie,_ my love. Not today."

Haruka threw a piece of wood back onto the pile. "Well, this whole thing is hopeless. There's only one thing to do! Pizza and ice cream. Let's get the hell out of here."

"Love, the swearing," Michiru warned in a hiss. "Your daughter can hear you."

"Oh, I've heard a lot worse from Papa!" Hotaru offered cheerfully.

"Hotaru!" Haruka growled.

Setsuna laughed, grabbing Haruka's arm. "Come on, all of you! Pizza and ice cream it is! Where to?"

"Not the arcade!" Ami shrieked, flaming crimson.

A burst of laughing overtook the group as they began their walk down the road, shadows stretching out with the setting sun, sometimes merging, sometimes alone…


	62. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I own nothing! I own nothing! (Sing along!)_

The wise King of Mercury planned the prison with which they would entrap evil very, very carefully. He was a humble man, and knew that even his most brilliant invention could go wrong.

What if something good became trapped within the Abyss?

For every black, there is a white.

Far from the gaping, ravening mouths of the Abyss called blackholes, all that they destroyed found freedom through the gentle breaths of the whiteholes.

One such whitehole sighed out the elements of a star, and her beloved children. The elements tumbled over each other out into the vacuum, spreading out, and growing ever lonelier. But somehow, in the vastness of space, one element found another. The shattered memories of a star and her children, all wrapped up in every element they shared, recognized their own. Love, ripped to pieces but never broken, made the two elements laugh and dance. Another element, recognizing the song of its own soul, joined them, and then another, and then another…

And at long last, the star Inanna, and her children, Mehrdad, Kaspar, Assim, and Taraneh, found their way home to each other.

And the universe was new again.

-

-

-

But what of the ancestors of the Silver Millennium, trapped forever in the Abyss of their own making?

And what of Inanna's final words of the next generation?

And what of the young woman, waking suddenly in a coffin of milky pink crystal that still carried a song, sung by the purest of soprano voices?

The story never truly ends, my friends…


End file.
